For the Sake of Science
by liketolaugh
Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.
1. Chemical Reaction

**A/N: I know I shouldn't be coming out with a new story right now, but frankly I kind of can't help it. I put it off 'til I had ten advance chapters and that'll have to do. *shrug* *grin* Hope you like it!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>"Well, that was a complete waste of time," Ed grumbled, hands clasped behind his head, metal fingers intertwined with flesh.<p>

Winry rolled her eyes at him, huffing. "It's _your _fault for studying ahead," she snapped fondly.

"Winry, you know we need to know basic math and science for our alchemy," Al protested softly, the strange, melted scars on his face twisting slightly with his frown.

Ed and Al had returned to Resembool a few days prior. Their alchemy teacher, Izumi Curtis, had gotten particularly sick, and Sig expected her to be down for a few months at least. With this in mind, Izumi had all but ordered them to return home, not for the first time in their training, to visit their family for a while.

Winry huffed again. "We're _learning _basic math and science!" she countered, a hint of exasperated admiration in her tone. "You two know stuff even the teacher doesn't!"

Ed and Al, eleven and ten years old respectively and long advanced past their grade, glanced at each other and shrugged. It was true.

"Blame _Dad," _Ed retorted, a strange intonation around the title. "He's the alchemist, we get it from him. And Teacher made sure we didn't fall behind, too."

"Brother," Al reprimanded halfheartedly, giving him a reproachful look for his tone.

Winry gave them an odd look, not quite understanding, but changed the subject. "How's your automail, Ed?"

Ed grinned at her. "Don't worry, _machine junkie, _I'm taking care of it." He ducked Winry's wrench, still grinning. She'd taken to carrying it around with her and had quickly found an alternate use for it: hitting people.

"He is," Al assured Winry. "He oils it every day, I make sure."

Winry smiled at Al, ignoring Ed's spluttered protest. "Thanks, Al." Then she perked up, blue eyes brightening hopefully. "Oh! Do you think you'll be able to come over later?"

Ed stiffened abruptly, good humor falling away like a snake's old skin, and Al shook his head regretfully.

"We can't, Winry, I'm sorry," he said, tone not giving anything away, face apologetic and hands clasped behind his back. "Dad wants us to help him with an experiment again."

"Oh," she said softly, disappointed. "I see."

Ed forced a grin, arms falling to his sides. "Don't worry about it, Winry. I bet we can tomorrow."

She laughed and shook her head at him, successfully cheered. "You better, alchemy freak."

* * *

><p>When they stepped into their house, they were still talking, but within seconds, it trailed off into nothing as both their gazes fell on their father.<p>

Hohenheim was waiting at the table, sipping at his tea and reading a book intently. At the sound of the shutting door, though, he looked up and smiled at them. "Ah, Edward, Alphonse, you're home."

Ed nodded uncertainly, gold eyes slightly afraid as they rested on his father. Al didn't even do that, shifting uneasily, giving Hohenheim an anxious look.

"How was your day at school?" Hohenheim continued, understanding in his tone. "I'd imagine it's quite dull compared to your time with that lovely teacher of yours."

"Yeah," Al said softly, voice almost inaudible. "We knew most of the material already."

Hohenheim smiled broadly. "That's my boys," he said proudly. "You really are my sons, aren't you?"

Hohenheim put his book down, and Ed tensed. Al's hand tightened on his arm as the younger boy bit his lip. Hohenheim smiled. "I know you've been gone for quite a while," he continued. "But I thought you could help with my experiment one last time. I think we can finish it today."

A violent refusal was on the tip of Ed's tongue, but the words wouldn't come. He felt paralyzed, hope and fear and anger warring and keeping him rooted to the spot. Hohenheim did many things with them, but the experiment, the one he always referred to simply as 'my experiment', that was the first, and the one both of them liked least.

Hohenheim smiled at them reassuringly. "I'll make your mother's old stew for you afterward," he promised, knowing Ed had always loved it. "And I have some alchemy books for the both of you. Mrs. Curtis told me you were showing an interest in medical alchemy, Alphonse. And then mineral alchemy for you, Edward."

Al smiled hesitantly and almost nodded, but glanced up at Ed for confirmation, eyes worried and anxious.

_Al really wanted some books on medical alchemy,_ Ed reminded himself. _And Teacher didn't have as much as I'd have liked on minerals._ He swallowed, forced a false, confident smile, and, not trusting his voice, nodded, crossing his arms.

Hohenheim smiled at him, understanding and gratitude mixing into a warm look, and stood up, setting his tea aside. Then, still smiling, still _smiling, _he placed a cold hand on Ed's shoulder and pushed lightly, encouraging Ed forward.

In this manner, Hohenheim guided Ed and Al into the basement, which had been Hohenheim's laboratory for as long as Ed could remember, and probably for longer.

Ed's voice started working again the instant he set eyes on the lab. A huge transmutation circle sat, white chalk on polished wood, in the middle of the room, an innocuous space in the center. Just past the edge of the circle, there was a small table, lined with more vials of crystal-red liquid than Ed had ever seen Hohenheim use in any one session before.

"D-dad?" he choked, gold eyes widening, fear closing a cold, tight fist around his lungs, making it hard to breathe, as his arms fell back to his sides.

"It's fine," Hohenheim soothed, understanding the problem instantly. "You'll do fine, Edward. You're older now." He smiled at Alphonse. "Alphonse, why don't you go sit down?"

Al looked up at him, healed scars slightly shiny in the basement's dim candlelight, and backed away, giving Ed an anxious look. Despite his own fear, Ed gestured for him to go a little farther back, looking warily at the circle. He recognized a fair number of the runes and sigils, from Hohenheim's books, but couldn't quite figure out what it was for.

Ed tried to breathe as Hohenheim took him by the arm and guided him toward the center of the circle, but he couldn't quite. Or rather, he could, but he was breathing too fast, he could hear it, gasping and panting, as if from far away. He was stumbling slightly, and Hohenheim was murmuring soft reassurances that Ed wanted to ignore, but had guided him through so much pain.

He wanted to hate Hohenheim, so much, sometimes. But he was their father, and something in Ed's core responded to that, responded to his voice, letting him be soothed even when he knew what was coming.

They had been doing this, too, for nearly as long as Ed could remember – experiments carried out in the basement, vials of red liquid, soft reassurances and pain.

"I've waited lifetimes for this," Hohenheim murmured, sitting Edward down in the center of the circle. Ed shook. Hohenheim set a reassuring hand on his shoulder, large and firm and cold. "Please, Edward. You know what this means to me."

Ed did know.

He knew what it meant to him, too.

He didn't resist as red sparks popped from nowhere, wood lifting from the floorboards to twirl gently around his ankles, and then pull him back by his hands to lay flat on the ground. He heard Al squeak quietly as more wood came to caress his ankles and hands, too, holding him carefully in place.

They hadn't always done this, but Al had rushed forward one time – Edward barely remembered, he'd been so out of it then – and knocked Hohenheim off balance. The needle had broken off in Ed's arm; that was the reason he had a scar in it now, just a small mark where the needle always sank in. Al had never moved to interfere again, but the risk wasn't something Hohenheim could ignore anymore. There were much worse things that could have happened.

Hohenheim turned away to face the table, picking up one of the vials and the syringe beside it. Slotting the vial neatly into the syringe, he knelt beside Edward and smiled reassuringly. "Are you ready, Edward?"

Ed's eyes stung. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ever ready. He nodded.

Hohenheim slid the needle into Ed's left arm, exactly where he always did, atop the scar, and pushed the plunger, carefully, carefully. Ed tensed up as the burn began in his arm, and distantly, he heard Al's pained, "Brother."

Hohenheim returned to the table for another vial, and then reappeared at Ed's side, already sliding the needle in again. Ed clenched his jaw as the burning spread, already beginning to pulse through his entire body.

The needle returned and Ed hadn't even realized Hohenheim had gone back for another, and he hissed slightly, twitching as the pain intensified. He was out of practice.

A sharp prick in his arm and Ed arched. Hohenheim began to apologize in soft tones, assuring him that it would be over soon, that this would be the last time they ever did this, that he was sorry, but that it had to be done, they'd worked so hard.

Another sharp prick, the slid of the plunger, and Ed's mouth worked, eyes squeezing shut. Al whimpered and he clenched his jaw and his fists. He could take this. He _could._

For Al. For his family.

Prick. Slide. A quiet whimperescaped Ed's throat, and he cringed away from the needle, the restraints tugging at his wrists insistently, clinking against his automail.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Hohenheim murmured. "I'm sorry. It will be over soon. Just withstand it a little longer. I'm sorry."

Again and again, the needle returned, until Ed lost count, twisting and pulling against his bonds and his own restraint, wanting nothing more than an escape from the burning and throbbing, mouth working, nearly inaudible pained moans drifting from his lungs, tears stinging his eyes, wood rubbing his wrists raw.

"I'm sorry," Hohenheim said again, finally setting down the needle for the last time. "I'm sorry, Edward, we're almost done. Almost there."

Ed barely heard him. He did see the blue – blue, not red – sparks that came from the array when Hohenheim, for the first time in Ed's memory, pressed his hands to the ground, activating the array drawn, mathematically precise, on the ground. Ed watched with wide, glazed eyes, twisting and squirming instinctively.

The blue light built rapidly into gold, almost hiding Al from Ed's sight, and then it reached him and he arched again, mouth stretching open in a silent scream as pain suddenly erupted from every fiber of his being and nonbeing alike, taking him apart from the inside out, putting him together from the outside in, and then doing it again, burning, ripping, shredding, pulling at him, snatching.

_"Brother!" _Al screamed, just loud enough for Ed to hear, not clear enough to process. _"Brother!"_

Hohenheim's eyes were dim but intent, focused alternately on the array and Ed, not wavering from the rhythmic pattern for a moment.

Then the array went black, purple and black, and Hohenheim's eyes widened as sparks snaked back up from the array to sink into his chest. Ed didn't notice, still frozen in his silent, awful scream.

More sparks poured into Hohenheim's chest, and his eyes widened further, twitching with unexpected pain. But then he smiled, realization dawning in his face, and his eyes slid shut. The array died down and he fell forward, limp on the ground, sprawled across the array, motionless in death.

The sparks, job done, cleared away, leaving Ed, too, limp and motionless, chest moving weakly up and down, unconscious.

Al screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's chapter one, and I hope you like how I've done things so far. Please review!<strong>


	2. In the Deep

**A/N: Excellent! I'm really glad you guys like this so far, I'm really proud of it. Keep reading!**

**Thank you to taiga, Dark Meow Meow Kitten of Doom, Dark Cat Food Lover, Brittany, Gamma Cavy, ThisCatWhatDidThat, and guest for reviewing.**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>Pinako, pipe in hand, listened patiently as her granddaughter ranted angrily.<p>

"They _promised! _Honestly, they could have at least had the decency to _tell _me they couldn't make it! Surely their dad could've let them go for _five minutes _to let me know!"

Winry ran out of breath and fell silent, breathing heavily, fuming. But Pinako could hardly fail to notice the worried glimmer in her blue eyes.

Ed had told Winry the day before that they'd probably be able to come over, but it was now two days after that and they hadn't heard from them once.

Pinako thought that, somewhere in the back of her mind, Winry had the inkling of a suspicion. Some doubt, some worry, something, _something _about Hohenheim – but nothing like Pinako.

Pinako had seen the guilt in Hohenheim's eyes, the wide-eyed looks that Al would give him, the way Ed would tense and grit his teeth whenever the experiments would come up. The way Hohenheim never said what he was doing, nor did his children.

No, Pinako knew exactly what Hohenheim was doing. But she'd known him a long time; if he set his mind to something – and he so rarely did – he was as difficult to stop as Edward was. If Pinako moved to stop him, he would take his children and move elsewhere.

And who else would treat the damage left behind with not a question on their tongues?

Pinako opened her mouth to speak, to give false reassurance, but she didn't get the chance – at that moment, a knock came at the door, and Pinako sighed again before rising to get it.

On the other side waited a black-haired man with sharp navy eyes and a blue military uniform. Pinako's eyes narrowed, fingers tightening around her pipe as sharp eyes took him in – the straight stance, the forward-facing eyes, shoulders square – what was a _military officer _doing in a small town like Resembool? It didn't sit right with her.

"Can I help you?" she asked curtly, letting her tone make clear her distrust.

"Do you know where I can find Van Hohenheim?" the man asked, respectful and to-the-point, easily picking up her animosity.

The lines around Pinako's eyes tightened. "Why do you wish to know?"

"Military business, ma'am," the man replied instantly, not dropping his stance for a second. "I assure you it's nothing bad."

"I suspect you and I have very different definitions of bad," Pinako said archly, gaze wandering to the lapel of his uniform. But she continued anyway, with a resigned sigh, "Hohenheim's house is just up the hill. Follow the road and it's the last house out. He ought to be home." _Home and hopefully with anything incriminating tucked away,_ she thought bitterly. There were few things she treasured more than her friendship with Hohenheim, but those boys were two of them.

The only thing stopping her was the irrefutable fact that, despite everything, they still loved their father.

The military man dipped his head toward her. "Thank you, ma'am."

Pinako 'hm'ed noncommitally, and the man turned and left.

* * *

><p>Riza was waiting for Roy on the road, patient, fingers drumming on her holster. "Well, sir?"<p>

"You were right," Roy allowed grudgingly. "It's over the hill."

Riza nodded, allowing herself a small, amused smile, but giving away no more of her thoughts. "Then shall we go, sir?"

Roy frowned at her, just _knowing _she was laughing at him inside, and then set off up the hill, intent upon his destination.

They'd come specially from East Command to seek out Van Hohenheim and attempt to recruit him as a State Alchemist. He'd been long known as a skilled alchemist, travelling and helping here and there, until he'd settled in Resembool, where he'd worked on a private project for fifteen years. Naturally, the military was highly interested in this project.

The Fuhrer had promised Roy a look at it if he personally did this assignment, and Roy would be lying if he said he wasn't interested. He'd never had the pleasure of working with Hohenheim, but he'd heard stories. Marcoh in particular had been fond of him, being the only research partner he didn't flinch at the memory of.

They reached the house in comfortable silence, and Roy reached out to knock sharply on the door, then waited.

Nothing. Not even the sound of footsteps.

Roy frowned – the old woman had assured him he was in – and knocked again, louder. Still no answer.

"Hello?" he called experimentally. He tested the door on a hunch and found it to be unlocked, swinging inward ith ill-boding ease.

Beside him, Riza frowned. "Sir?"

Roy glanced at her and she fell silent, brown eyes sharpening, hand going to her gun. Roy stepped inside.

"Mr. Hohenheim?" he called out. He took a few more steps in and repeated, louder, anxiety blooming in his chest, bringing his fingers together, "Mr. Van Hohenheim?"

"Is someone there?" a voice came suddenly, high-pitched, terrified, and desperate. Both officers froze. "Who's there?"

Roy and Riza exchanged another glance, and Riza called back, "Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye. Is something the matter?" A stupid question, the answer being so obvious, but a decent prompt.

The voice gained a hysterical edge. "Please! Help him! _Help him!"_

Roy's eyes went sharp. His gaze started darting, seeking out a door. "Where are you?"

"The basement! _Please! _Hurry!"

Riza found a door and opened it just as the voice finished, being rewarded with a dramatic increase in volume as she did, frightened sobs they couldn't hear before becoming audible. She nodded sharply to Roy and darted down the creaking wooden steps.

Almost as soon as Riza opened the door, she smelled the stink. Descending the stairs only made it worse, a horrible stench of dead things and human waste.

Roy agreed.

"What smells like death?" he muttered to Riza, who ignored him in favor of lifting an arm to her nose and continuing down, eyes intent.

Riza reached the bottom first, and the stench was almost overpowering. She coughed, eyes watering, one arm covering her nose and mouth, and then her gaze fell upon the room.

The first thing she noticed was the array, stark white in the middle of the room, an unconscious blond boy bound, hand and foot, to the floor in the center. A few feet a way, a tall blond man – Van Hohenheim, she realized – lay, face pale in death and already beginning to discolor.

She swallowed, shoulder shaking almost imperceptibly, mind starting to draw heart-dropping conclusions. She forced her eyes away from the pair to find a boy, conscious, bound to the wall just like the other to the floor, but kneeling. Roy reached the bottom of the stairs, coming to a stop beside her, sleeve held up just like hers.

"Lieutenant, wh- _dear God." _Roy stared, horrified. "Holy f-" He jolted forward, fumbling for the chalk he carried with him just in case.

Roy's words brought Riza back to herself, and she hurried forward to the boy by the wall, ignoring memories of her father's own lab.

The boy was crying, face streaked with tears and gruesomely scarred, parts of one cheek melted away, left eye sealed half-shut, mouth and nose strangely misshapen. He was pulling at his restraints, seemingly heedless of the bleeding marks they left as wood bit viciously into his flesh. "Brother! _Brother!"_

Besides his wrists and ankles and despite his old scars, he seemed unhurt, just distressed, and no wonder. Riza reached forward and gripped his shoulder firmly, making him freeze, head jerking to look at her with wide, hysterical brass eyes, face messy and distraught.

"We'll help your brother," she said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. The room flashed with Roy's transmutation and the boy flinched harshly, yelping. "What happened here?"

The boy choked on a sob. "D-dad, he… he… Brother… the… he…" He couldn't get the words out and tears started flowing again as he fought desperately against the restraints. "Brother, _please!"_

Roy appeared beside her, quickly and carefully sketching a transmutation circle onto the floor. Pressing his hands to the array, he melted the restraints and the boy collapsed forward, ankles and wrists bloody and bruised. Riza caught him and he sobbed, shaking weakly and murmuring, over and over, "Brother… brother…"

Roy nodded at Riza and vanished again. Riza carefully picked him up, ignoring the stinky, sticky remains of two days locked in place, and stood.

Roy reappeared, holding the other boy and grunting slightly with the weight, and led the way back up the stairs.

Just as Riza was wondering where on _earth _they could take these boys, a tug at her sleeve caught her attention, and she looked down at the boy in her arms as he looked at her with tearstained eyes, fever bright and red-rimmed past his scars.

"R-Rockbell," he whispered, voice tight and strained. "Rockbell Automail. Please."

Riza nodded at him and looked at Roy, making sure he had caught it. He nodded back, and they hurried right back to where they'd come from.

When the old lady answered the door this time, her eyes fell on them, and she started. "What the devil-" Her eyes landed on the two boys and widened. "In. Now."

Riza nodded silently and followed the old woman in, Roy right behind her. The old woman shut the door and ushered them into another room, then told Roy to lay 'Ed' down on the bed inside.

"Winry!" the woman called sharply, hurrying around to gesture for the other boy. Riza reluctantly let him down and he launched himself toward her, crying. The woman held him tightly, gaze dark.

A blonde girl appeared in the doorway, and blue eyes widened in shock, landing on the two boys. "G-granny? What…?"

"Take care of Alphonse," the old woman ordered, pushing Alphonse toward her. "Run a bath and give him something to eat. And _calm the boy down." _Her eyes gleamed with seriousness. "Don't ask what happened."

Winry, blue eyes wide, didn't question it, hurrying Alphonse away. The old woman turned toward them, grim. "You two, help me take care of Edward. Quickly."

They worked for half an hour before Edward was deemed well enough, just unconscious. They left him hooked up to an IV before the returned to the living room and Pinako, as they had learned her name was, sat down. Roy and Riza followed suit, tired out. Silence reigned for a few minutes.

It was Winry who broke it, appearing in the door, face just as lined as theirs.

"Al's asleep," she offered quietly, sitting beside Pinako. "What _happened? _Al was so upset he could barely string two words together, and he was a mess!"

Roy exhaled heavily, shaken by the unexpected turn in their routine recruitment mission. "Do you two know what Hohenheim's experiments involved?" he asked abruptly, dark eyes darting and tense.

"No," Pinako said heavily, eyes dark. "He was very secretive about it. And speaking of Hohenheim..." She sighed. "Well. Is he alive?"

Roy inhaled sharply. Riza's gaze settled evenly on Pinako's as she said cautiously,

"No."

Pinako sighed again. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," she said wearily, "that it ended this way. Tell me, was there any sign of what he was doing to them?"

Roy, rather surprised and mildly relieved at the turn in the conversation, shook his head.

"No," he said. "But if I return, I'll be able to understand any notes he had."

"Granny?" Winry questioned anxiously, leaning forward, blue eyes pleading and worried. "What are you talking about?"

Roy stood up abruptly, and Riza gave him a small nod as he escaped the painful explanation soon to come.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Chapter two! So that's that for this week, and I'll tell you now that I plan to update this on Mondays, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. (I get grounded and have to update from school, there's not a chapter ready [hopefully unlikely], etc.) Also, in case it was unclear, it's been about two and a half days since the transmutation, give or take. Thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	3. Night Notes

**A/N: Here we go. Now, be warned, this is a shameless backstory dump, so while you discover a lot, not a lot happens. Still, hope you like it!**

**Thank you to Gamma Cavy, Dark Cat Food Lover, Dark Meow Meow Kitten of Doom, and guest for reviewing.**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>Roy returned to Hohenheim's house later that evening, alone this time. Riza stayed behind to help Winry and Pinako watch over the boys, though she'd been reluctant.<p>

Roy used this time to mull over his next move. Most likely, with Hohenheim dead, the promotion he'd hoped to gain for his recruitment was gone. On the other hand, he might still be able to scrape a promotion of another sort – the Fuhrer _had _promised him that he'd be able to watch over Hohenheim's – he tried hard not to cringe – experiments… so this was a prime opportunity. After all, that was as good as a promise to let him decipher them, with Hohenheim dead.

Of course, with his dawning understanding as to what, exactly, they were, it could easily turn his stomach as badly as the Ishvalan Massacre had, and be nearly as immoral. But he'd done worse for his career. For his goal.

Roy took a breath as he entered the house, casting navy eyes back and forth.

He explored much more carefully this time, starting with the two rooms on the ground floor, a kitchen and a living room. There was nothing of import in either room, but he found a cup of tea, cold on a dining room table, and a pile of still-fresh ingredients in the kitchen, set aside for a meal. Then, in the living room, there were two thick books on medical alchemy and three on mineral, carefully set aside on a small, round table with a single, unlit candle.

Wanting to avoid the basement for as long as he could manage, Roy ignored the basement door in the living room and went upstairs instead. There, he found two bedrooms, one master and one children's, and, most importantly, a study.

The study contained a meticulously organized desk and several bookshelves, filled to overflow with thick and sometimes old alchemy tomes. Roy ignored these, seeing another, smaller one filled with notebooks, and went to the desk instead.

The drawers, he found, contained stacks of loose-leaf notes, some dated quite recently. He picked up the first pile and sat at the desk, bending over them intently. The first words dropped down into his stomach and sat there, heavy and forboding.

_Trisha isn't taking to the transfusion well. She doesn't say anything, but I know it hurts her. There have not yet been any outward effects, but it never takes, so there must be some. I believe she knows what they are, as well. Still, she says nothing._

Roy took a deep breath, shoving down the rage growing in the core of his chest. His wife. He'd experimented on his wife, for certain, at least. He skipped ahead, heart heavy with burning anger, dreading what was to come but needing to know.

He'd never understood the lengths people went to for science, and he never wanted to.

_Trisha is sick. The boys are upset; they are still young, after all. Only two and three years old. Edward is trying to be strong for his brother, but I know it hurts him just as much._

_It was the experiments, I know. The boys know, too. I'm sorry for it. I never meant to hurt her, but I am desperate. I need this to work._

_I should have stopped when I realized it wasn't working._

Trisha was Hohenheim's wife, Roy recalled. The reason he'd chosen to settle in Resembool in the first place, rather than moving as he preferred. Roy had never thought that Hohenheim would be the type to run experiments on his family, but he supposed you could never really tell.

Roy read on and came to another, ice-cold revelation, hands shaking with anger already.

_It took._

_I tried on Edward, and the infusion took. It worked. I am thrilled, but it hurt Edward, I know, and for that I am deeply sorry. Still, this is not an opportunity I can afford to waste._

_Completing the transfer will take time, but I believe I can begin work on the next stage now. I will need an array to fuse it completely. I can begin that._

Roy grit his teeth. Hohenheim had experimented on his own children. What was it that he was trying to do? Why wouldn't he say? _What was that thrice-damned man thinking?_

_Trisha has died. The sickness that she never told me of, that the experimentation made worse, took her. The boys have taken it hard; they cry at night, and often crawl into bed with me. I comfort them the best I can, but I ache as well. I miss Trisha. I miss her terribly._

_With luck, I can be with her soon. Much sooner than I ever could have hoped._

Roy frowned; was that a clue? He didn't see how it could be, but it stank of it. Or perhaps that was the old food, or his own mind placing a smell to the awful thing he was reading.

_I am sorry. I am sorry, Edward, I am sorry. I am sorry, Alphonse._

_Alphonse did not take to the material as Edward did. I should have forseen that; he is so much like his mother._

_Having found a successful recipient, I normally would not have attempted it on another at all, but Edward was hurting so much. He begged. My willful, strong little boy begged, and I gave in._

_The effects on Alphonse were much worse than they ever were on Trisha. His face was disfigured awfully, and he hasn't been able to taste or smell a thing since the attempt three days ago. His sense of touch has dulled dramatically as well; he can only feel the most extreme of textures, a vague sense of warm and cold, and pressure. I am sorry, Alphonse. You are only five, the most innocent little angel there ever was, and you did not deserve this. I will not try again._

Oh.

Oh. Roy swallowed, bringing to mind the scars on Alphonse's face, which had at first made him cringe away. He could only thank God that the boy had not seen it, too lost in his own hysteria.

Abruptly, he stood up, pacing angrily, a furious flush across his face, fingers itching to snap.

An experiment. An _experiment. _There was absolutely no denying it; the man had taken his own sons on as test subjects, putting them through, if this was anything to go by, horrible pain. It made Roy, the Flame Alchemist, known for burning Ishvalans of all sorts, of any age or gender, to death by the dozens, by the hundreds, feel ill at the thought, sick with anger and dread.

It took a few more deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, before he could sit back down and continue.

_The Rockbells are asking questions._

_They are right to, I know they are. I am sorry, Edward, I never meant for this to happen, but we've come too far. We're too close to stop now. I'm sorry._

_I'm surprised the boy still trusts me, after all this. Last night he screamed for this first time since I attempted the infusion on Alphonse; I think he believes that it is his fault, and if he screams again, I will try Alphonse again. He could not be more wrong, but I cannot bring myself to tell him so._

_Edward lost two limbs last night. The transfusion nearly didn't take, and the strain wore on his body. His arm and leg dissolved before he beat it, but it indeed took. I almost wonder why, but I dare not question it. I nearly lost Edward tonight, eight-year-old Edward, and my hands are still shaking._

_Alphonse is crying. He hasn't left his brother's side. I don't believe he quite blames me; this has been a part of my boys' lives for as long as either of them can remember, and for that, too, I am sorry. But I am a selfish man at heart, and I will not stop. Not now._

_I have told the Rockbells that Edward came too close to an experiment, and it blew up. I have promised that I will never do something so dangerous again, and I will not. I will never give Edward more than he can take again._

_Edward wants automail. I cannot bring myself to refuse._

Roy couldn't read any more. He couldn't. This was awful, this was… no. He hated this, hated Hohenheim, whom he'd never known, and he _could not read this._

He dropped the notes and stood up, pacing back and forth for a few minutes once again, hand on his head, eyes squeezed shut to block out the images conjured up by Hohenheim's words, teeth gritted. A younger Alphonse screaming in pain as his face melted down. Edward begging for it to stop. An Ishvalan child crying over their mother, only to burn as well. Two limbs dissolving into air and blood.

Well, if that didn't explain Ed's strange weight, something Roy had already found suspect, he didn't know what did. Automail made perfect sense, and he wondered why he hadn't seen it before.

Maybe because no one expected an eleven-year-old boy to be half metal.

Roy choked, took a breath, and breathed. The scent of blood was in his mind, all in his mind, but it was still just as strong.

He sat back down and kept going.

Riza slept in the Rockbells' guest bedroom that night, after Roy returned, grim and silent, and took Pinako aside to explain to her the details of his findings – what few there were..

Pinako had been silent for a long time when he explained, tones low and rough. Then she'd sighed, an old, tired sigh, and vanished out back to smoke her pipe. By the time she'd come back inside, Roy had fallen asleep on the couch.

None of them slept well that night.

* * *

><p><strong>By the way, that was more like his journal than his notes. His notes are coded. Anyway, next chapter, the Elrics are back, and they, ah, enjoy themselves. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	4. Deep Dark

**A/N: And booom. Progress. And you all hate Hohenheim even more than I meant for you to, God, Ed's really had a strong influence on all of us, huh? 'S gonna make this chapter and the next one pretty awkward, heh. ****Well, enjoy!**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover, ThisCatWhatDidThat, SapphireClaw, lilaclily00, Gamma Cavy, .3, and Musicly Inclined for reviewing.**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>Endless black held Ed in its depths, less like a loving caress and more a firm grip, constricting and somewhat painful.<p>

He inhaled sharply, struggling, and while some of the darkness leeched away, the pain intensified into a dull ache, spreading out from his chest and spiking in his arm. He moaned softly.

What had happened? He must have been working with Dad. That was the only thing that left him feeling like this, except a particularly bad bout with Teacher. But he was at home, right?

He twitched up and groaned; ow. Don't do that again. Instead, he cracked his eyes open, flinching at the bright light, and tilted his head, squinting. Al's head was pillowed on his arms, leaning against the bed, fast asleep. Looking around, Ed found that he was in the Rockbells' medical room, and no one else was around.

That was strange. Usually Dad was around after a 'lab accident', apologizing even before Ed realized he was awake. Maybe Teacher had shown up without warning? It'd be pretty unlike her, since it had only been a few days since she'd sent them here, but it would explain a lot.

No, this was extreme even for Teacher. He would've had to do something to annoy her pretty bad, and he couldn't remember anything.

Ed groaned again, this time in frustration, and this time, Al stirred, blinking brass eyes open sleepily. Then he shot bolt upright, eyes going wide. "Brother!"

Ed smiled tiredly. "Hey, Al," he greeted. "Where's Dad? He's usually here."

Al's face fell into a horrible, torn look and Ed frowned. "What? Al-" The rest of the sentence stuck in his throat as the memory clicked into place like the cocking of a gun.

The instant Ed remembered, Al could see it on his face – evening-gold eyes falling to honey, widening in shock, not yet gone to grief. Al's heart dropped, and tears welled up in brass eyes. Ed stared at him, mouth slightly open, and Al stared back.

Ed broke the silence. "A-Al?" Lost and in shock.

Al let out a soft cry and threw himself forward, half-burrowing into Ed's side the way he'd done when their mother died, the way they'd both, sometimes, done to their father. He cried, muffling sobs, head tucked just under Ed's metal arm, uncaring of the hard metal.

Ed pulled him closer on instinct, a whine rising in his chest and becoming trapped there, because Ed wouldn't let it out, not now, not while Al still needed him to be strong, and maybe not ever. Ed's face twisted, crumpling, biting his lip as he tried to keep himself from shaking, but hands still trembling as they held Al close. He focused on Al, Al's warmth, alive and safe, and took in long, shaky breaths, as even as he could make them. Tears soaked into his shirt and he didn't care, didn't even notice.

What would they do? What would they _do? _They were… they were alone, they were all alone, there wasn't Mom and there wasn't Dad and that meant that Ed had to take care of Al and- Ed didn't know if he could do it. How could he take care of Al when he was only a year older, how could he take good care of his little brother when he was only eleven years old himself?

What were they going to do without Dad – his deep voice and warm touch soothing through the pain, his reassuring look when Ed was scared, quick actions when Al was hurt.

Ed's breath hitched, arms tightening, and Al just burrowed into him further as the tears began to flow, Ed's quiet whimpers almost inaudible over Al's muffled sobs.

But just like there would be no more warm hands, no low, comforting tones, there would be no guiding hand leading to the lab, no carefully drawn arrays or spark of alchemy at his temple, reaching into his brain. That was over. It was over.

It hurt, _Ed _hurt. His head hurt and his arm hurt and his heart hurt. He _ached, _and it wasn't just from grief, or the experiment, it was shock and fear and pain from years past that were flooding out, the floodgate gone with his father.

For almost as long as Ed could remember, Hohenheim had been taking them down to the basement to 'help'. Even before Mom had died, he had done it, though the times were few and far between.

It was embarrassing, almost, how long it had taken before Ed had realized that it wasn't normal. He'd thought it was just because none of the other kids had parents who were scientists. But, reading Hohenheim's books, tomes stuffed with theories and runes and partial arrays, he'd realized something, slowly.

Not one of them mentioned real-life application. There was no reference to past experiments, to successes and failures. Only unconfirmed speculation and theoretical arrays and useless hypotheses, nothing like the hard science of Teacher's minerals and glasses and fibers.

Ed was nine years old when he realized that it wasn't normal, and finding out had tainted his view of his father in a way he didn't like; he'd been glad that it was months before he saw him again, months to process it and accept it. And even with that, something in the sad way Hohenheim had looked at him told Ed that it was clear he'd figured it out anyway.

Al had gotten there first; Ed hadn't been surprised. Al had always been the more socially competent, and what evidence and irrefutable proof had told Ed, Al had probably learned from talking to people, from listening to their thoughts about experiments and ethics and science in general. Al had never said, but Ed thought that he'd gotten there years before Ed had.

Ed ducked his head down, opening apple juice eyes to gaze at Al, and Al tipped his head up to look back with tearstained brass.

A white figure lined with shadow grinned a wide grin at Ed, a huge, ominous door looming behind him.

Ed gasped and blinked and it was gone. Al sat up, expression caught between grief and worry. "Brother?"

Ed blinked hard and reached up to rub hard at one gold eye, forcing back the renewed burning. "N-nothing, Al. I'm fine." He forced a weak smile at his little brother, who was rightfully unconvinced.

Still, Al let his head drop back down, staring dolefully at Ed. "Brother? What are we going to do now?"

Ed took a deep breath and pushed himself up. Al followed, leaning against his side, eyes wide and staring at him anxiously. "Well, we can still go back home. Granny'll help take care of us until Teacher's all better. We might have to start budgeting Da- our money, Al, so that we still have enough for things like your medicine and my automail." He sighed and let his head fall to rest on his knees, curled up in front of him. "We can keep learning from Teacher, she'll take care of us. And then I'll have to find a job eventually, so that we can stay together and you can go to school for your medical alchemy. That shouldn't be too hard, alchemists can almost always find jobs…" He looked back up and trailed off.

A black-haired man in a stiff military uniform leaned against the door, navy-black eyes regarding them coolly, arms crossed. And Ed had no idea when he'd gotten there.

Ed was little, very little, when Resembool was wrecked in the Eastern Rebellion. But he'd been warned against soldiers all his life – by Granny, by Dad, by Teacher, who didn't like them, who didn't trust them. And Ed didn't, either, not for a moment.

The man was silent a moment longer, still watching them. Then he uncrossed his arms and tucked his hands in his pockets.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Mustang," he informed them, voice low and even, navy-black meeting molten gold and burnt brass. "I was sent here just yesterday to recruit your father as a State Alchemist, or, failing that, to look at his research." He smirked mirthlessly. "Imagine my surprise when instead of an experienced, reputable alchemist knee-deep in a personal project, I find a dead man, his two sons, and a case of human alchemy."

Neither of them moved to respond, but Ed's eyes had darkened and Al had shifted into a more defensive position than the open one he'd held previously.

Mustang crossed the room and sat in the abandoned chair, a few feet away from Ed's bed. Both sets of metallic eyes followed him, not wavering for a moment. He folded his hands in his lap, eyes intent.

"I'll be blunt with you," he told them, as if he hadn't already. "I am aware that your father was experimenting on both of you, as well as your mother. I'm sure you both know that human alchemy is as illegal as the taboo itself, and even if it hadn't killed him, his life would be forfeit." A certain spark to his eyes told Ed that he would have been more than pleased to do it himself.

Ed's mouth twisted and his fists clenched. "Yeah, we know. What of it?" he challenged, voice low and rough with pain and anger.

"What I'm less sure of," Mustang continued, eyes serious, "is if you're aware of what would happen to you."

Gold eyes flashed; Ed knew, all right. He wasn't sure if Al did, but something in the stiffening of his frame indicated that he must. Ed stayed silent.

"That's right," Mustang agreed. "I'm obliged to report this, obviously. There's no getting around that."

"Nice of you to tell us first," Ed sniped, crossing his arms and hiding his fear. Al pressed against him, and when Ed glanced down, Al's eyes were wide and caught between fear and protectiveness. Ed understood; they'd both seen more than enough of experiments._ Out of the frying pan and into the fire. _"So damn _typical. _It's all about orders to you, isn't it?"

Mustang's eyes flickered to him for a moment, then returned to focus on both of them.

"I understand that you don't want to be subjected to that anymore," he continued on, slow and careful. "I'm sure that you've had more than enough of being test subjects." Ed bristled; he _knew _they'd been more than that to Dad. He _knew _it! Mustang plowed on. "Now, as the finder, and because of certain circumstances, responsibility for Hohenheim's, ah… projects, will fall to me."

Ed eyed him contemptuously, hiding the wince at the callous mention of his father so soon, and Al sat up more fully, brass eyes burning intently, face set in a deep frown.

"So that's it, then?" Ed asked scornfully, stung and not quite thinking straight. "We go out of Dad's hands and right into yours that easy, huh?"

Mustang didn't make a move to retaliate and instead went on. "Now, if you don't cooperate, neither of us will get what we want. So I'm going to propose a deal."

Ed opened his mouth to snap back, but Al moved a hand to his arm and looked at him pleadingly. "Brother, please."

Ed looked at him a moment, then sighed, scowled, and closed his mouth, crossing his arms in irritation.

Al looked at Mustang, brass eyes making it clear that it had best be a good deal or Mustang would end up on the receiving end of some very unpleasant consequences.

"You cooperate with me," Mustang began, leaning forward slightly, eyes intent. "And I'll offer you three things." Ed looked at him expectantly, gold eyes glittering sharply. "I'll find you a place to stay, outside the military." Al nodded thoughtfully. "I'll be the only performing the tests. And neither of you will be hurt."

Ed gave him a scornful, disbelieving look. "Bullshit. Tests always hurt."

Mustang's eyes flashed and he clamped down on something. "Not always."

Ed exhaled harshly and pressed a cool automail palm to his forehead, hard. He didn't want to deal with this now. He'd known his dad was dead for less than half an hour and he was still having trouble processing that, and he ached, and he was worried about Al, and this. _This._

"What the fuck do you get out of this?" he demanded harshly, not looking up.

To his credit, Mustang didn't react. "A promotion, most likely," he said bluntly. "I'll get full access to all of Hohenheim's research, and access to all human alchemy resources on a temporary basis. For your part, you won't end up locked up in a government lab."

This was true. It had been a fear of Ed's, actually, once he'd realized the true nature of Hohenheim's work, to be locked up in a lab. To never see the light of day again, never see his friends or Al, never able to escape the experiments.

He pressed his palm harder into his forehead, growling to himself in frustration. Al squeezed his human knee softly and Ed looked at him. Al smiled sadly.

"I'm okay with whatever you think is best, brother," he said quietly.

Ed growled again and squeezed his eyes shut. Still not looking up, he said, "You know what you're dealing with, right? Dad did a lot of things, and Al and I only know what a few of them were. There was this thing, the one he finished last night, it's been going on for years. It killed Mom, it's what scarred Al. Disintegrated my arm and leg, too. And there were others – arrays and procedures that we don't have the slightest clue what they did. The only things we have to go off are Al's memories of the arrays and the crap left over."

When Ed looked up, Mustang looked like he wished Ed had been a little less open, and Ed grinned mirthlessly. Then Mustang said, resolute, "That's fine. Trust me, kid, I'm up for it."

"If you're sure," Ed shrugged. He glanced at Al, one last time, and then looked at Mustang. "Fine. We'll do it. You better keep your goddamn promises, bastard."

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><p><strong>So yeaahhhh. Well, I don't have much more to say, so thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	5. The Nick of Time

**A/N: Crap, I nearly forgot this! I need to go soon, so I can't say much, but enjoy!**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover, ThreeGoodReasons, and manga. geek. 3 for reviewing.**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>Corn, mashed potatoes, and leftover chicken. Normally, this meal was pretty easy to work with. Not today, apparently.<p>

"C'mon, Al," Ed coaxed, shoving the plate toward him. "Normally you love this stuff."

Al sighed and pushed it away again, expression morose. "I'm not _hungry, _brother."

Ed made a low, frustrated sound and pushed it back. "Please, Al? At least a little, so you can take your medicine."

Al shot him a hesitant look at the strained quality to his voice. Seeing his brother's frustrated, worried look, he permitted, "Alright… if you'll tell me what it tastes like."

Ed smiled in relief and leaned back again as Al pulled the plate toward him.

Sometimes, when Al was feeling his worst, he would refuse to eat. The only way Ed could get him to was to describe the flavor to him, detail for detail. Over time, it became a comforting ritual for both of them, one they often took outside the dining room.

Ed grabbed his own, now cold, plate, and smiled at Al. "Which one first, Al?"

"Mashed potatoes?" Al asked hopefully, glancing up.

Ed grinned at him, slightly painfully, and took a bit of said item. He chewed, swallowed, and started, "They're soft most of the way through, but there are a lot of lumps, too. It's been a while, so it's gone a bit cold, and I forgot to add butter, so it's dry." He made a face and got up to get butter while Al laughed a little, taking a bite himself, seemingly without even noticing.

Ed returned, added butter to both his and Al's potatoes, and put it aside, sitting back down to continue on. "It's warm in the middle…"

They worked their way through the meal like that, Ed eating easily three times as much as Al, and were just finishing the chicken when Mustang and another, female soldier walked in.

Ed trailed off in his description of how, exactly, the chicken felt under his tongue to frown at the two officers. Al's laughter faded out as he followed Ed's gaze.

A short, awkward silence followed, then Ed scowled and jerked his head back around. "Can you finish your chicken, Al?" he asked abruptly.

Al, smile gone, nodded reluctantly.

"Great." Ed smiled halfheartedly. "Finish up and then take your medicine, alright? I'll go clean up."

He picked up his plate and made to stand, but Mustang's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Not so fast, Edward." Ed scowled and looked at him, gold eyes flashing dangerously. Mustang smirked at him. "You haven't met my most trusted subordinate." He nodded to the woman beside him. "This is Second Lieutenant Hawkeye. You'll be seeing a lot of her."

Hawkeye nodded to both of them. "Hello, Edward. It's good to see you awake."

"Hey," Ed returned, eying her warily.

"I've made the necessary calls and arrangements," Mustang informed him, dark navy eyes inent and steady. "Everything's ready for our arrival in East Command."

"Then it's just as well that the first train out isn't until next week," Pinako said briskly, coming in and drawing their attention. To Ed and Al's startled looks, she added heavily, "I may not approve of this, but it's most likely the best thing. It'd be best if you boys found out what your father did to you."

Mustang frowned at her. Pinako gave him a stern look.

"Don't you look at me like that," she reprimanded. "Even if there _were _an earlier train, those boys need time to grieve. We'll need to arrange Hohenheim's funeral as well."

Mustang's expression became slightly grimmer. "Of course."

Hawkeye dipped her head towrd Pinako. "If you'd like, we can leave you alone now."

"That would be much appreciated," Pinako replied tiredly, and Hawkeye gave Mustang a pointed look. Mustang took his cue and left, saying something about making more calls.

With the two officers gone, Pinako sighed and sat across from Ed and Al, expression weary.

"I hope you boys didn't think you'd be going through this alone," she said finally.

In unison, both brothers blinked, simultaneously startled. Pinako sighed again.

"You know, I knew your father a long time," Pinako said abruptly. Both of them gave her puzzled looks. "I knew how that man's mind worked better than anyone save perhaps your mother. After she died, you boys were everything to him."

Ed jerked his head to the side, scowling and biting his lip, tense like a high wire. "Yeah," he mumbled, not looking at her.

"He was a good friend of mine, but I never condoned what he was doing."

Ed's head jerked back up, gold eyes as wide as Al's brass. "What?"

Pinako's expression was solemn. "I'm sorry to say I've known all along. It was a while before I was certain, but make no mistake, I knew."

Both of them stared at her, lost for words.

"Granny…" Al whispered, guilt inexplicably etched into his scarred face.

Pinako didn't drop her gaze, but she remained silent for a few moments longer before she said anything else.

"Winry is understandably upset," she said finally, reaching for her pipe. "She doesn't understand why neither of you never said anything."

Ed shrugged silently, unwilling to speak.

"We're sorry, Granny," Al whispered, a plea for understanding scurrying in his voice.

Pinako regarded him for a moment.

"Whatever for?" she asked ironically, a whisper of self-recrimination to her tone.

When Roy finished informing the office of the delayed state of their return, it hadn't been nearly long enough. He barely considered for a moment before turning to go once more up the hill.

"Sir?" Riza questioned, barely a step behind him.

"We'd best get the body before it begins to rot," Roy said grimly, gait crisp and businesslike. As much as _he _might hate Hohenheim, those boys obviously loved him; that much was clear.

Riza softened slightly, eyes shadowing and lips thinning, apparently having similar feelings. "Of course."

They entered the house in silence and walked down the well-used, creaking wooden steps to the unlit lab. Roy snapped, aiming for where the candle had been carved into his mind's eye, just like every other detail of the lab, and it lit, casting dark, flickering shadows that loomed across charted transmutation circles and a bone-white array on the floor.

Roy ignored it all and crossed the room to the limp body that lay quietly on the edge of the array, smile fixed and eyes closed.

Roy paused to glare at it darkly, mouth a straight, thin line, and then, in one motion, Roy bent down and scooped the motionless corpse up, grunting at the dead weight. Riza went to pick up the melted candle stub, following Roy silently back up the steps.

If she never went there again, it would be too soon.

When they reached the Rockbells, moving around to the back just beside the trees, Roy glanced at Riza, who nodded and went into the house. She returned a few minutes later, followed by Pinako, Winry, Ed, and Al.

Roy had set the body down on a clean spot in the grass, and now it smiled, soft and empty, up at the treetops, hair growing brittle and face waxy-pale.

He stood there, silent and uncomfortable, for a few minutes before finally offering, "I could transmute a coffin for him, if you'd like."

Ed shook his head roughly, gold eyes focused on Hohenheim. "No!" he snapped. He softened his tone almost instantly, glancing remorsefully at Al, who had started. "No. Me and Al can do it."

Roy's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, but he didn't say a word as the two boys moved forward, kneeling beside Hohenheim's corpse. Winry let out a soft, choked sob, and Ed glanced up at her before looking back down.

Then he took a piece of paper and a pencil out of his pocket, and he and Al spent a few quiet moments discussing it. Then Ed made a careful transmutation circle, drawn with the same mathematic precision as those in the lab.

Ed put the paper to the ground, and both boys places their hands on it, closing their eyes.

Roy inhaled sharply as blue sparks poured from the array, scurrying up a few of the nearby trees and breaking them down. A few others sank into the ground, seeking out stone.

"Amazing," Roy murmured. And he hadn't even seen the result yet.

It looked like the genius of the father had passed to his sons.

As the trees continued to deconstuct, the coffin began to take shape, right around Hohenheim's body. Within minutes, a polished pine box was fitted near-perfectly around the motionless form, cradling it, and beside it, a firm, stylized lid sat, a dark stone sigil, one Roy didn't recognize, set into the top.

The detail was nothing earthshattering, but from a simultaneous transmutation – from a ten and eleven year old, no less – it was startling. And neither of them, nor either Rockbell, even looked fazed.

Ed and Al stood up. Ed looked into the coffin for a moment, mouth twisting slightly as his eyes burned with tears, staring at his father's colorless face. Then they bent down, lifted the pine-wood lid, and set it atop the coffin with a final-sounding thunk.

None of them saw a few red sparks return the color to Hohenheim's face.

It was three days before Winry spoke to either of them. When she did, it was to tell Ed that she needed to tune his automail before he left.

They were both quiet as Ed sat in the chair, Winry fiddling with his leg from the ground in front of him.

It was Winry who finally broke the silence, blue eyes steady on his leg, shining with the threat of tears.

"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner," she said finally, voice high and quiet and wavering just like her hand didn't. "All the times you couldn't play because of an experiment. All the times you acted strange for a day, or got weird injuries. And the _fits, _Ed, are those because of what he did to you?"

Her voice rose with distress and frustration as she spoke; by the end, she was almost crying.

The fits were something that had started when Ed was about five or six. Suddenly, for no reason, pain would rip through Ed from his heart to his fingers and toes, like a long, hard shock, complete with paralysis and twitching. For lack of anything better, Ed, Al, and Winry called them fits, and they happened most often in the days and months following an infusion. Ed had been having them a few times a day for the last three days. The first day, he'd had them every few hours, well into the night.

"Yeah," Ed admitted, voice quiet and low and rough.

Winry's voice shook, but her hand remained steady. "I just… I can't believe Uncle Van would do that." Tears started to well up in her eyes as she worked, tightening a bolt that made Ed flinch. "He's one of the nicest people I ever knew. Remember that time the book salesman refused to sell me any books about automail, so Uncle Van bought every automail book he had and gave them to me right in front of him?" Now she was really crying, silent and still save the shake in her voice and shoulders, motionless wrench clenched tight in a white-knuckled grip.

"And teaching me and Al to transmute wreaths of flowers," Ed agreed, voice thick, gold eyes staring at the ceiling.

"And teaching all of us to dance," Winry continued. She gave Ed a watery smile. "You couldn't stop falling over."

"Until Dad compared dancing to fighting," Ed countered, smiling weakly. "Then I did just fine. It was a big help with Teacher, too."

Winry laughed wetly at the memory leaning her head forward to rest against his automail. "I don't get it," she said softly. "He really loved you."

Ed swallowed around the lump in his throat, eyes stinging. "Yeah. He did."

Winry let out a quiet sob, barely audible. "Why didn't you _say _anything?" she demanded, angry voice incongruent to her wet eyes.

Ed smiled at her painfully, and dull gold eyes shone. "Winry," he said hoarsely, voice scraped raw. "We didn't know it was wrong."

Pinako, with the help of Hawkeye and Mustang, arranged the funeral in record time, calling anyone who may attend, which was most of Resembool.

_Alchemy accident, _she told them. That was all she said.

Six days after Ed woke up and the day before they left, Hohenheim was lowered into the ground with flowers and tears and a soft, mournful voice that Ed didn't hear a word of. Mustang and Hawkeye, even knowing nothing of the man but his sins, bowed their heads in reluctant respect, and Ed and Al spent the night outside.

The next morning, Mustang came to get them, looking down at them with pity in his eyes as he took in their two forms, curled up next to the freshly turned dirt and the stone-cold gravestone.

"Come on," he said finally, voice low and quiet. "It's time to go."

* * *

><p><strong>And now I really have to go, so thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	6. Battlefield

**A/N: Winter break, WOO!**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover and guest for reviewing. Can we maybe try for a few more this time?**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>Ed looked almost like he was asleep, eyes closed as he leaned his head against the window, legs curled up in front of him. One arm, his left, was thrown over Al's shoulders as the smaller boy curled up against him, dull bronze eyes gazing out the window.<p>

The previous night, Roy had been out trying to bring the boys in until the moon was high in the sky, at which time Pinako came and informed him that even their father hadn't managed to bring Ed in the night of their mother's funeral.

After hearing that, Riza had sent Roy in like a small child, choosing herself a tree to lean against to watch the boys the whole night through.

An hour before the train left, Roy had come to wake all three of them, and when they returned to the Rockbells', still tired and slightly dirty, a packed bag and a change of clothes had awaited each of them.

And, aside from when they said goodbye to the Rockbells, neither one had said a word since.

"What are they like?" Al asked, softly and suddenly, shattering the delicate silence. He didn't take his eyes off the rushing landscape, but his head angled slightly toward them.

"Who?" Riza asked, lifting her head from her book to look at him.

"The people you work with." He glanced at them and managed a small smile. "We'll be around them a lot, right?"

"That's right," Riza replied evenly, studying him. Her features softened slightly. "There are four others in our office: Fuery, Falman, Havoc, and Breda."

Roy tuned Riza out as she described the other members of the office.

He'd been surprised, initially, at how well Edward and Alphonse had taken to Riza, and how well she'd taken to them in return. In hindsight, he shouldn't have been, not after hearing them talk about their mother and interact with the Rockbells. And an offhand comment or two made Roy guess that their favorite teacher was also female.

As for Riza, well. Roy still hadn't quite figured out that one.

After a while, Roy noticed that Ed had opened his eyes and was watching them, gold eyes focused and mouth set in a slight frown.

"What do they do outside of work?" Ed asked suddenly, gaze not leaving Roy.

"Well, Breda likes to eat," Roy said flippantly, understanding exactly what the suspicious kid was worried about. "Havoc has a habit of attempting to date, and Falman is never really outside of work. I'd imagine he reads encyclopedias in his spare time. Fuery has a bit of a gambling problem, but that's mostly in the office, and a stray animal problem, which is mostly out of the office." He moved his gaze to the window as he added offhandedly, "I'm the only alchemist on the team, unfortunately, so if you're looking for someone to talk alchemy with, you're out of luck."

He didn't need to look to know that Ed had started; Al's startled squeak told him that. Still he didn't look voer, keeping his eyes on the landscape outside. The countryside was really more beautiful than he gave it credit for.

They reached East City in due time, and Roy suppressed a chuckle at the boys' wide eyes. He supposed that for kids from a place like Resembool, East City seemed less 'backwater' and more 'mind-blowingly large'.

Still, no time for sightseeing now. With Riza's help, Roy had them into a cab in near-record time and headed for East Command.

"Remember, not a word to anyone on your circumstances," Roy warned them, tense and high-strung. "If anyone needs to know, I'll tell them myself."

"Relax, Mustang, we've gone over this already," grumbled Ed, craning his neck to get a better look at the passing buildings. "It's not like we _want _to tell people about what happened."

Roy acted as if he didn't even hear him. He couldn't help it; the whole incident had left him terribly, hopelessly paranoid. "While the Fuhrer had personally declared you as under my jurisdiction, that won't stop some of the military's scientists. Remember, all of this is considered top secret, so you can always fall back on that."

"Lieutenant Colonel." Roy stopped talking to look at Riza, who gave him a faintly amused look. "They understand."

Roy nodded jerkily. "Right," he muttered. "Right."

Far too soon, they reached East Command, and Roy paid the cabbie, eyes wary on the doors. Then he straightened up, smirked confidently, and strode forward.

"Arrogant bastard," Edward muttered belligerently behind him. Roy entertained the notion that Ed didn't seem quite as adverse to him as he had the first day.

"Edward," Riza reprimanded quietly. Ed fell silent, but a stolen glance back told Roy that the mutinous look on his face hadn't left. Hm. Perhaps Roy was merely fooling himself.

They reached the receptionist, who glanced over them halfheartedly, and then gave a double-take at Al's badly-scarred face, mouth opening and eyes widening in shock.

Al instantly ducked his head, face bright red and ashamed, and Ed bared his teeth at him, taking an aggressive step forward.

At the same moment, Riza's gun clicked, and Roy stepped forward, forbidding expression matching Riza's line for line.

"Corporal," he greeted curtly. "Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, bringing in two civilians with the Fuhrer's permission."

The unfortunate receptionist craned his neck to stare at the boys, and, more particularly, at Alphonse. "Sir, they seem rather young-" he started, seemingly unable to help himself, though he flinched at the first glance at Riza.

"He has the Fuhrer's permission, Corporal," Riza interrupted, voice frosty, hand resting casually on her gun. "I suggest you let the Lieutenant Colonel through before he loses his patience." _Or I do, _she added silently.

"If you're certain," the receptionist said dubiously, eying first Al, then Ed, then Al again. At Riza's cold look, though, he flinched again and let them through without another word, and Roy led the way briskly through the hallways, staring straight ahead and valiantly ignoring the way Ed bristled constantly, scowling belligerently at anyone who so much as glanced Al's way.

A hand landed on Ed's arm and he looked up to scowl at its owner. The scowl fell away when his eyes found Hawkeye, cool brown gazing straight ahead. Ed sighed and nudged Al. When Al looked at him, he smirked, hiding the pang in his chest at Al's desolate look.

"Screw them, Al," Ed said confidently. And while it wasn't quite what Ed was going for, he still grinned when Al chuckled softly at the typically Ed remark.

It never even occurred to Ed that it was as much about kids in the military as it was about Al's scars.

Soon enough, they stopped at a door and Mustang knocked briskly, once, not even pausing to wait for an answer before he strode through the door. Ed and Al darted in after him, and Hawkeye closed the door behind them.

Inside were, as Hawkeye had promised, four men. One, with black hair and large square glasses, had to be Fuery. One of the blonds, cigarette in his mouth and lounging back casually, was probably Havoc, which meant the other, stiff-backed and focused, was Falman. That left Breda, the redhead.

As soon as Mustang entered, they looked up and gave him a collectively chaotic greeting, with remarks ranging from 'Heya, Chief!' to 'Who're the kids?' to 'Ha, Fuery lost the bet again!'.

None of them, Ed noticed, looked at Al for longer than a second, and he nudged Al and grinned at him. Al smiled back, brass eyes bright and smile warm in a way that had never changed.

Mustang let them talk, something between a smile and a smirk hovering on his lips. When the cacophony finally died down, he announced, "Men, this is Edward and Alphonse Elric. They are the sons of Van Hohenheim, the alchemist I was searching for."

"What're they here for?" Havoc asked, eying both of them curiously. "You never said."

Ed bristled and gave Mustang a suspicious look, but Mustang's expression gave away not a hint of his thoughts.

"Their father died in an alchemy accident very recently," Mustang explained, expression appropriately grave. "Due to suspicious circumstances, they've fallen into State custody, and due to their heavy involvement in their father's work, they're with me, as they'll be helping me decode it."

Impressive. He hadn't even lied.

"Well, hey." If Havoc found the story at all suspicious, Ed couldn't tell. He waved at them vaguely, a crooked grin on his face. "Welcome to the office and, uh…" His expression turned slightly awkward as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about your father."

Ed shrugged halfheartedly, crossing his arms and shifting his gaze to glare at the floor. Al sighed at him and offered to the man,

"Thank you. Brother and I will try to stay out of the way, won't we, brother?" He gave Ed a pointed look. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

Al sighed. Havoc chuckled.

Despite Al's promise, it took all of fifteen minutes for Hawkeye to politely request that they find entertainment elsewhere, as they were rather disruptive. Ed took this as a victory and took Mustang's scribbled note of permission with glee, while Al sighed mournfully, waved at the office at large, and followed after him.

"Name plate," Ed counted off, head turned up to peer at the passing doors. "Name plate. Name plate. No name plate!" He grinned and pulled the door open, only to sigh in disappointment. "Closet."

It had taken ten minutes of wandering and opening doors to figure out that every door with a name plate on it contained an office, and, with encouragement from Al, Ed had been persuaded to leave those doors alone. Instead, he went and opened every door without one.

Fortunately for Al, most of those were storage cupboards. Of those that weren't, they'd found an abandoned office, the mess hall (where they'd eaten lunch and talked to the mildly confused kitchen staff before taking off again), and what seemed to be some sort of meeting room.

Ed shut the door and leaned back, pouting. "This place is boring," he muttered rebelliously. Al laughed at him.

"Only you, brother."

Ed shrugged halfheartedly and took off down the hall again. Al smiled despite himself and took off after him.

"Brother, wait for me!" he protested, seeing Ed getting ahead.

Ed flashed a smirk over his shoulder, and Al huffed before speeding up, trying to catch up with his brother.

Neither of them noticed the soldiers starting and staring at the blond blurs darting by.

Well, that was, until Ed ran headfirst into a gigantic, nearly-bald blond man, almost falling down on his butt. The man caught him before he did, though, and Ed tilted his head back to frown at him, confused.

"Ah! Edward Elric!" The man sparkled. Ed was even more confused now. "I have been looking for you!"

"You have?" Ed questioned, deeply confused. Al skidded to a halt beside him, not even out of breath, and looked no less confused than he did.

"Indeed!" He beamed. "My name is Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist!" Ed tensed slightly. The man didn't notice, but Al did, and he shifted back slightly, a slight frown on his face. "I heard of your appearance here and wished to greet you myself!"

"Huh…" Ed muttered, edging backward. "Well, consider us greeted. Can we go?" He eyed the alchemist warily.

He didn't know where this mistrust of male alchemists had come from. Well, that was a lie; he knew exactly where it came from, only he'd never mistrusted Dad this way.

Then again, he didn't let Dad do it because he liked it. He let Dad do it because he was _Dad._

Whatever. He wasn't exactly inclined to mistrust his instincts, anyway.

"Ah, but you haven't yet seen the mess hall!"

"Yes, we have," Al contradicted quietly. Armstrong deflated. Al smiled up at him and offered, "But we haven't found anything else. Maybe you can show us around? We'd hate to get lost."

"Al!" Ed hissed. Al gave him an apologetic look and shrugged, but Armstrong looked overjoyed.

"Certainly!" he beamed. "I would love to show you and your brother the wonders of the Eastern Headquarters!"

And that was how Ed and Al ended up being shown every highlight of East Command – everything from the offices of the most important people, to the switchboard, to the communications center and the training ground and the gym. _Everything._

Ed could have done with worse, actually. Despite Armstrong's sparkles, he was hard to dislike and harder to fear; there was something almost inherently trustworthy about the man. Maybe it was his tendency toward absurd overemotionality that made Ed inclined to trust him. He was just… well, Ed had barely known him two hours and the only word for him was _Armstrong._

And Al liked him. If that wasn't a good reason to let him around, Ed didn't know what was.

The impromptu tour ended when Armstrong showed them the library and both of them refused point-blank to leave. Armstrong, thankfully, had taken it well, laughing boisterously and saying something about needing to return to work, before leaving them there, already absorbed in their respective books.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh, they added support so I don't have to go back and add the line breaks. Yay! Anyway, it's come to my attention that I wrote a line that's VERY easily misconstrued. Hohenheim is dead. Hohenheim is very, very dead. The red spark thing, that was something else, k? K. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	7. A Matter of Time

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is my Christmas present to you all. Yay!**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover and MusiclyInclined for reviewing. Can we maybe try for a few more this time? Seriously? As a Christmas present?**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ed, Al."<p>

Gold eyes flickered across the page, absorbing the contents unnaturally quickly. Burnt brass barely blinked as a slender hand turned the page.

Havoc frowned. "Edward! Alphonse!"

Al jumped, looking up at him with one eye wide, the other still trapped half-shut. Havoc repressed a shudder; it was a damned good thing the Chief had warned them beforehand, else he might well have fallen out of his seat the first time he saw Al.

"Ah!" Al frowned, scooting back a little. "Um, Havoc, right? What's wrong?"

"Uh…" Havoc stared at Ed. Al looked at Ed and sighed, then reached forward and pulled his book out of his hands.

Ed stared at his empty hands for a moment, blinking confusedly. Then he looked up to his brother, frowning. "Al?"

"Lieutenant Havoc," Al said simply.

Ed frowned at him for a moment longer before realization dawned in his eyes and he looked up at Havoc. "Oh. Hi."

"Hey, kid," Havoc answered slowly, giving him a strange look. Then he shrugged, apparently dismissing it, and said, "The Chief's waiting for you back in the office, said to tell you the guy you're staying with's arrived."

Al perked up slightly, but Ed tensed, eyes shadowing with suspicion. He looked at Havoc for a long moment before he finally looked down at the book-laden table and said, "Alright. Help us put these books away and we'll go."

Havoc stared at the books. "You didn't really think you'd have time to read _all _of these, did you?" He couldn't help but ask.

Al gave him a puzzled look, scarred features twisting innocently. "What do you mean? These are the ones we've already read."

Havoc's cigarette fell out of his mouth.

It was twenty minutes later that they arrived in the office. Ed was grumbling over the way Havoc had taken it upon himself to put away all of the high-placed books ,and Al was alternately chuckling quietly, sighing exasperatedly, and attempting to smooth Ed's ruffled feathers.

Mustang was in the outer office, working diligently under Hawkeye's sharp eyes and glinting gunmetal. Upon catching sight of the borthers, he dropped the pen like a hot potato and stood up abruptly. Hawkeye sighed.

"Edward," he greeted, navy eyes slightly relieved. "Alphonse."

Ed cocked an eyebrow at him, then craned his neck to look at the stack of paperwork on Mustang's desk, which Hawkeyewas surreptitiously adding to. If he worked hard, and Hawkeye stopped adding to it, he might be able to finish it by the time Ed was thirty.

Mustang followed his gaze and cleared his throat. Ed looked back at him, gold eyes annoyed, but Hawkeye didn't stop adding to the pile.

Mustang sighed. "Lieutenant, really?"

"You need to finish this by next week, sir," Hawkeye replied, unapologetic. "I did advise you to take some of it along."

Mustang sighed mournfully. "But _Lieutenant…"_

Hawkeye cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the Elric brothers, of whom Ed was smirking and Al was laughing quietly.

Mustang coughed, cheeks pinking slightly. "Ah. Yes. Well. Back to business." Still embarrassed, he looked at both of them directly, blush fading rapidly. "I asked a few people if they would be willing to take you in for an undetermined amount of time and received exactly one agreement."

"That's great," Al smiled, slightly painfully. Ed nudged him and ruffled his hair, understanding perfectly and not quite managing a smile of his own. Al's eased, but Ed knew for a fact that it was no more sincere.

Mustang's eyes were serious. Strangely serious. Ed's eyes narrowed. He beckoned them closer, kneeling down on one knee when they obeyed.

"His name is Shou Tucker," Mustang started. An uneasy feeling settled in Ed's chest at the man's expression. Mustang took a deep breath before he plowed on. "He's a State Alchemist who specializes in chimerical alchemy."

Fear, irrational fear like Ed had rarely felt before, crashed over him, and his eyes widened, his breath caught. Al let out a soft sound beside him, eyes widening.

Then reason reasserted itself and Ed took one deep breath, then too. The fear eased – just enough for rage to fill the gap.

"What the fuck?" he snarled, anger and fear mixing in a maelstrom inside him. "Mustang, you fucking _said- _you _promised-"_

Impatience and concern mixed in Mustang's eyes, which darkened as he visibly chose to go with anger, voice tight and low. "Edward, be reasonable. Not everyone is like your father – in fact, hardly anyone is like your father. You'll be safe with him." When Ed's anger didn't ease, he sighed. "I don't know Shou as well as I'd like, but I know he has a little girl of his own, Nina." When he made to continue, Ed stopped him short, voice close to panicked.

"Are you fucking _kidding _me? No!" His gold eyes were wide, fists clenched, nearly vibrating with tension. Al was casting both of them anxious looks by turn, biting his lip.

"Ed-"

Gold eyes turned on his brother, still wide and scared. Mustang was frowning; why the hell was he frowning? Didn't he _understand- _He'd found them, hadn't he? And like hell Ed was letting anyone but their dad anywhere near them like that, and yes, he was _fully _aware of how damn fucked up that was.

"Edward." Mustang's steel-solid voice made Ed jerk his head toward him, fidgeting restlessly, fists clenching, unclenching, clenching. With a strong certainty, he said firmly, "Shou is not like your father. He will not experiment on you. He will not experiment on your brother. He may work with biological alchemy, but he works for the State, and the State does not condone human alchemy." Quieter, with a wary glance at the curious faces of the rest of the office, he added, "Adults do not experiment on children, Edward. Parents do not experiment on their children."

Ed stared at him for a long moment, face strangely vulnerable. Beside him, Al fidgeted – from the way he kept glancing at Ed, Roy would guess that his answer depended entirely on his brother's. Roy waited.

When Ed's answer came, it was unexpected.

"The little girl. Nina." Deep breath, not looking at him. "How old is she?"

Roy frowned, brow furrowed. "Four," he said finally.

Ed nodded to himself, tight and tense. "…Alright." He glanced up at Roy, still uncertain, traces of fear still in his golden eyes. Another deep breath. "Alright, we'll…" Breath. "We'll talk to him, alright?"

Roy allowed himself a small smile – one more step done – and straightened up, nodding. "Good."

Tucker and Nina were waiting in the inner office, Tucker distracting Nina with the ease of long practice, playing with her. Tucker looked up as they entered and smiled in welcome, making Nina look at them with wide, curious eyes.

Ed couldn't do this. He gritted his teeth and took a step back, unconsciously shifting in front of Al, gold eyes wary. Al shifted, too, one brass eye wide.

Nina, though, hopped right up, off her father's lap, and darted toward them to beam up at them.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "My name's Nina. What's yours?"

Ed faltered and looked down at her. Behind him, Al smiled and shifted forward.

"My name's Al," he told her, keeping one eye on Tucker. Nina's eyes instantly turned round on seeing him, and Al winced, but all she did was ask,

"Wow. Does it hurt?" Big blue eyes wide and concerned. Al smiled.

"No, not at all."

Meanwhile, Tucker frowned in confusion and looked at Mustang. "Colonel?" he questioned, low and confused. Mustang sighed and took him aside under Ed's watchful eye, explaining quietly, so that Nina, already deep in enthusiastic conversation with Al, couldn't hear.

Ed soon took his eyes off Tucker and involved himself in the improvised game Al had started with Nina, and quickly became absorbed in it, smiling and playing.

A while of this found Tucker watching them with strange eyes – apparently Mustang had finished telling him the story, and Ed supposed he didn't quite know how to react. That was alright. Ed didn't know how to react, either.

Suddenly, on impulse, Ed looked at Nina.

"Hey, Nina."

Nina looked up at him expectantly, blue eyes wide.

"Have you ever helped your dad with any of his experiments?"

She pushed her bottom lip into a pout and shook her head. "No. Daddy won't let me."

That made Ed feel a little better, enough to give him the courage to glance up to Mustang and nod. "Fine. We'll go with him."

Mustang smirked slightly, nodding. "Good."

* * *

><p><strong>Heh. You guys THINK you're prepared, but actually you're not. *grin* So I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading, and please review! By the way, Monday's update is still coming, this is just a bonus.<strong>


	8. Looking Back

**A/N: Ha! That got your attention, didn't it? *cackle* Seriously, though, thanks for ALL the reviews this story got last chapter! Let's take a look...**

**Thank you to ThisCatWhatDidThat, SapphireClaw, Dark Cat Food Lover, Gamma Cavy, LDK, bruh, Alheli, aloof-kokiri, The Lamest Fad, Lover of this, and 2 guests for reviewing!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>"So." Tucker smiled at them congenially over his shoulder, taking his eyes off the road for a sparing moment. "I heard from the Lieutenant Colonel that you boys have an interest in alchemy."<p>

Al looked up at him, smiled tentatively, and nodded. "Yes. Dad had a lot of books on alchemy, and brother and I like to read a lot, so we started pretty early. I think we were…" He glanced at Ed, even as Ed kept one eye on Tucker. "Three and four, right, Ed?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. It was a whole year before we could do anything, though." He smiled bitterly. "Dad didn't have a lot of books on, uh, _everyday _alchemy, but he had a few beginner's books." The smile turned strange, bitterly pleased. "I think he wanted to teach us, someday."

Al glanced at him, then looked back to Tucker with one wide eye. "Uh…" Tucker had lifted his head; Al couldn't see his eyes past the reflection of his glasses. Al smiled uncomfortably. "Well, anyway, brother and I found a teacher a few years ago, and she's been teaching us more. I think I want to be a medical alchemist."

"Is that so?" Tucker smiled at them, looking almost proud. Ed bit back a reflexive scowl. "And what about you, Edward?"

"…Mineral alchemist," Ed said finally, after Al nudged him pointedly.

Nina looked up at Tucker with wide eyes, and it was clear she hadn't understood a whole lot of what she'd heard, which was just as well, Ed supposed. "What kind of alchemist are you, Daddy?"

Tucker smiled down at her fondly. "I'm a chimerical alchemist, sweetheart. I work with animals – that's why you aren't allowed in my lab. Some of them can be dangerous."

Nina 'ooh'ed, eyes wide. "Dangerous?" Her eyes grew concerned. "Will they hurt you, Daddy?"

Ed kept his thoughts to himself as Tucker chuckled. "No, Nina, Daddy knows how to handle them. Don't worry."

Nina smiled, worries soothed. "Oh. Okay, Daddy!"

Tucker smiled and turned his attention back to Ed and Al. "What does your mother think of your alchemy? Does she approve?"

An awkward silence hovered over the next few moments, and Nina looked between the two boys with wide blue eyes. Eventually, Al offered, with an almost apologetic smile, "Mom's been _away_ for a long time." The special emphasis on _away _made it clear what he really meant. At Tucker's startled expression, quickly moving to pity, he added hastily, "It's okay. Like I said, it's been a long time."

"My mommy's away, too," Nina said brightly, oblivious. "I draw her pictures sometimes, and Daddy sends them to her." She deflated. "Mommy never replies, though."

Both Ed and Al paused, and then Ed forced a smile, looking down at her. "That's okay, Nina. I'm sure she still…" Ed trailed off, expression turning to a slight frown, gold eyes focusing on nothing.

Nina tilted her head at him, confused. "Big brother Ed?" Al started at the nickname, but was distracted almost instantly when Tucker asked, confusion implicit,

"Alphonse?"

"Oh, he does this sometimes," Al explained hastily, keeping half an eye on Ed, carefully not catologuing Tucker's reaction. "It's because of… well, you know." He sighed, and Tucker frowned a little.

A few moments later, Ed's expression cleared, and he continued as if nothing had happened. "-loves you," he finished, smiling reassuringly, an expression that was more unsettling than anything else after what had just occurred. "Moms are like that."

Nina was still staring at Ed with confused eyes, so Al swiftly intervened,

"Ed's right, Nina. No matter where your mom is, she loves you." He smiled sadly. "I know our mom does."

Soon enough, they reached Tucker's house, and Ed and Al gasped; they'd never seen such a large house.

"I'm sorry it's such a mess," Tucker apologized, making an effort to clear away books and toys before Ed or Al could look too closely. "I meant to clean up before you arrived, but I got rather caught up in my work – I'm sure you know all about that – and with my wife gone, well." He smiled sheepishly.

Actually, Hohenheim had always made an effort to keep the house neat after Trisha died, picking up the so-called 'woman's work' (Ed snorted to himself, thinking of Winry and Pinako and Hawkeye) without a second thought. He nodded anyway.

A shadow fell ove Ed and he didn't even have time to look up before a giant, warm, _furry _weight landed on him with a thump. Ed let out a surprised _'uff!'._

"Oh, dear," he heard Tucker say, voice muffled by fluff, while Nina protested,

"Alexander! That's _bad!"_

Al was laughing.

Ed struggled to shove the offending object off of him, then scowled accusingly at Al, who tried his best to look innocent. The irritated look faded as Alexander barked again and licked Ed's cheek, wagging his tail, and Ed rolled his eyes and rubbed the annoying dog's ears before pushing himself back up.

Nina laughed and threw her arms around Alexander. "Silly Alexander," she mumbled into his fur, cheek rubbing against white fluff fondly. He barked, tail flicking excitably. Al smiled, then looked at Tucker.

"Ed and I could help make dinner, if you like," Al offered.

Tucker smiled gratefully. "If you don't mind, that would be wonderful," he replied.

Ed grunted and hopped up, trying to ignore the way Nina's face fell. "Yeah, alright," he grumbled, not really that bothered. He grinned down at Nina. "We can play later, alright?"

Nina brightened and nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, big brother Ed!" Then, hopefully, "Big brother Al, too?"

"Of course, Nina," Al promised, smiling at her. "We just need to make dinner first."

Nina beamed and went back to playing with Alexander, humming to herself happily.

Tucker showed the two boys into the kitchen and they set to work. Ed went to work chopping vegetables, while Al watched over a brother and Tucker went around finding the appropriate spices and then preparing chunks of beef.

"What are we making?" Ed asked, because he was masochistic.

"Stew," Tucker replied with a smile. "Lieutenant Hawkeye heard that you liked it and let me know. I thought it might be nice if you could have some your first day here." A frown creased his brow. "Was I wrong?"

Ed had paused in his motion, forehead creased and gold eyes pensive.

_Hohenheim sat in the middle of the lab, letting Al curl close as he held Ed comfortingly, the boy twitching painfully and biting his lip, still recovering from the procedure._

_"And we'll have stew for dinner," Hohenheim was murmuring, stroking his fingers through Ed's hair. "Then after that, I'll tell you another Xerxesian legend. What kind of story would you like, Edward?"_

_The seven-year-old's gold eyes gleamed up at him unhappily. He opened his mouth to answer, winced at a shock of pain, and closed it._

_"Brother likes the stories about the slave boy and the homunculus," Al offered softly, face half buried in his father's side, just obscuring his melted cheek._

_Hohenheim smiled. "Alright. I'll tell you about the time the homunculus told the slave boy about God, how does that sound?"_

_Still unwilling to speak, Ed nodded his head, closing his eyes as Hohenheim smiled._

"No," Ed said finally, resuming his motion and breaking his own reverie. "No, I… yeah. I like stew."

"Oh, good." Tucker looked relieved, turning to toss the last of the spices into the broth pot.

Al picked up the milk and tipped it in, not letting his expression show. Ed, though, could see the slight tremble of his shoulders, and sighed.

In sharp contrast to the preparation, the consumption of dinner was a cheerful affair. Nina chattered on endlessly, making the boys smile and Tucker chuckle fondly, and all three children snuck Alexander scraps of meat under Tucker's knowing gaze.

Finally, dinner ended, and Al offered for him and Ed to clean up while Tucker got Nina dressed for bed, and then put her to sleep after. Tucker agreed with a grateful smile, and both of them hopped off their chairs, gathering up the dishes as Tucker ushered Nina to bed.

They finished up quickly, and followed the sound of barking to Nina's room.

Nina's room was large and sweet, at least half playroom, with a messy bed laden with pink covers. Tucker smiled at them as they entered, tugged Nina's dress down more securely, and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Nina."

Nina smiled at him. "Goodnight, Daddy."

Tucker stood up and nodded to the two boys as he left, and Ed and Al slipped past to sit on either side of Nina, with Alexander curled at their feet.

Nina's nightgown was a soft blue, and she fiddled with the end of one of her braids, brow furrowed in concentration. Al laughed and took it from her, smiling.

"I'll get that for you, Nina," he offered. She beamed at him.

"Thanks, big brother Al!"

Ed laughed, then laughed again as she suddenly yawned, blue eyes blinking tiredly. Al slipped off her hair tie and set it aside, starting to carefully unwind her braid with unfeeling, but dextrous fingers.

"You promised we'd play," Nina complained, frowning sleepily.

"I did," Ed agreed. "We'll play tomorrow, okay?" Then, struck with sudden inspiration and a pang in his chest, he continued, with a painful smile, picking up her other braid, "Tonight, I'll tell you a story instead, alright?"

Al gave Ed a startled look, and Ed avoided his eyes.

"…Alright," Nina agreed reluctantly, giving Ed a smile. "What kind of story, big brother?"

"A legend," Ed told her, unweaving her braid with deft, gloved fingers. "It goes like this: A very long time ago, maybe as much as a thousand years, there was a powerful empire, and everyone within it had hair like straw-spun gold and gold eyes like the afternoon sun…"

* * *

><p><strong>How many of you thought this was going to end this chapter? Seriously? No, this is gonna take a little while. Got some things to get done first. *grin* By the way, Ed's symptoms mean something, they're not there, you know, just for the hell of it. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	9. Not What He Seems

**A/N: Ack! Sorry, guys, I meant to publish when I woke up like I normally do, but, you know, first day of school after Winter Break. Here it is!**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover, Alheli, MusiclyInclined, loveantauri, Abi the Authoress, ShadowPillow, and TheHaloFreak for reviewing!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p><em>It hurt. Oh, God, did it hurt. Burning, pulsing, throbbing all over, and Ed just wanted to stop hurting.<em>

_He thrashed back and forth, tears streaming down his face, bruising his fragile, six-year-old wrists. Sobs wracked his chest, and he screamed, not for the first time that night._

_Hohenheim looked harried and strained, sweat beading on his forehead and expression pinched as he loaded another vial, a soft, frantic stream of reassurances falling from his lips._

_"It's okay, Edward, you'll be okay, it'll be over soon, just three more vials, you've done five already, you're almost done, my brave little boy, just hold on a little longer, Ed, please…"_

_Al was crying, curled up in a corner of the lab, half hidden under a table, mumbling, "Stop it…" and "Please, Daddy" over and over._

_Hohenheim's hand shook as he lined up the sixth injection and administered it, as quickly as he could. He barely had the time to withdraw it before Ed arched up, letting out a gut-wrenching scream._

_"STOP IT!" Ed screamed finally, crying, pulling back and forth madly. Hohenheim jerked back, eyes wide and startled. "Stop it, please, Dad, it hurts, I can't take it, Dad please… I can't… Dad, please… please…"_

_Hohenheim dropped the syringe like boiled glass, releasing the bonds with a thought and pulling Edward into his lap, close to his chest, expression pained. "Okay, Edward, we're finished," he promised. "It's done, I won't do anything more to you tonight, we're finished…"_

_Ed cried into his chest, one hand fisted in his coat, shaking violently as ripples of pain jerked through his six-year-old body._

_Hohenheim held him tightly and reached for the syringe, loaded with the second-to-last vial. "Alphonse," he called quietly._

Ed's eyes shot open, a scream catching in his chest. "No, _Al!"_

It was dark, no candlelight in the room, just a hint of dawn on the horizon out the window. There were no arrays in the room, no vial-lined tables, no needles.

Ed sighed and pushed himself up, shoulders shaking slightly, a mild ache permeating his flesh. He must have gone into a fit while he was asleep; that would explain the dream, at least. They usually didn't hurt like that. Well… not physically.

"Brother?"

Al was awake. Of course he was; one of the experiments had given him insomnia, and he hadn't slept for a full night in years.

Ed got up without looking at his little brother, crossing the room with his eyes on the floor. When he looked at Al, whose bronze eyes gleamed concernedly in the dim light, it was to raise his left hand and touch it gently to Al's melted cheek, the back of his hand brushing scarred flesh.

"I'm sorry, Al," he whispered.

Al's eyes softened in comprehension and he reached out, nerveless flesh brushing nerveless metal. "It's not your fault, brother."

"But it _is!" _Ed whispered, furious at himself, angry tears pricking at his eyes. "If I hadn't said-"

"Everyone has a threshold, brother," Al interrupted, not giving him time to finish. "Dad gave you more than you could take. You held on as long as you could, brother. It's _okay." _When Ed refused to reply, fists clenched and brow furrowed, he continued gently, "Let's go get you some breakfast; you probably won't be getting back to sleep."

Ed held his gaze a moment longer, and then blew out a long breath, nodded, and moved to change.

"Take your medicine," he muttered, pulling on a white glove.

Al nodded and grabbed his medicine bottle on the way out, rolling it reluctantly between his fingers.

The sun was rising by the time they made it out, but not much. Ed and Al quickly found the kitchen, and Al cracked some eggs into a pan, while Ed found some orange juice and two glasses, and then, upon further searching, two plates.

Within minutes, Al dumped most of the eggs on Ed's plate, and then the rest on his. Both of them sat at the counter, and without prompting, Ed took a bite and starting quietly describing them to Al.

They'd only just cleaned up when Alexander's barking told them that Nina was awake, and sure enough, within minutes, she appeared, eyes bright, hair down, and still in her blue pajamas.

"Big brothers!" she greeted cheerfully, hand on Alexander's flank, as usual. "G'morning!"

Al smiled at her. "Good morning, Nina. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! I had a pretty dream where I was a fish and made pretty bubbles in the sky!"

Ed grinned and held back a laugh, shooting a look at Al. Al rolled his eyes at him and smiled at Nina. "That sounds like a fun dream, Nina."

She nodded happily. "Yeah!"

"Hey," Ed said suddenly. Both Al and Nina looked at him questioningly and he grinned. "I promised you we'd play, right?"

Nina beamed at him.

An hour later, a tired Tucker found Nina hiding behind a couch, eyes screwed up tightly shut, arms around her knees.

"Nina?" he questioned, frowning.

Nina peeked at him, giggled, and pressed a finger to her lips. "Sh!" she whispered.

Too late; Ed's head popped over the sofa, and he grinned down at Nina. "Found you!"

"Aw!" she pouted.

Al popped up beside Ed, smiling. "Don't worry, Nina, he found me first." She smiled and laughed.

Tucker chuckled, sat on the couch, and held out a hand. "Come Nina, let me braid your hair."

She sighed, but hopped obediently over to plop down in his lap. He picked up a hairbrush from where it was stored on the corner table and started to pull it through her hair. She made faces at every tangle and Tucker made sure to be careful, brushing in small sections as she wriggled.

"Thank you boys for watching her," Tucker told then as he worked. He set aside the brush and split her brown hair into two sections, beginning to braid one neatly, practice making his fingers deft. "I was surprised when I woke up and it was already nine." He chuckled, pausing to smile at them wryly. "Usually Nina's woken me up by now." He tied off one braid and started on the other.

"We liked playing with Nina," Al smiled, sitting on the couch, a way away from Tucker – between him and Ed, Tucker noted with a brief frown.

He covered it with a chuckle. "Even so, Nina can be quite a handful."

Ed hadn't thought she was at all, but then, he'd known her for less than a day. He shrugged, keeping an eye on Tucker, tense with his brother so close to him.

Tucker smiled and continued, "If you boys don't mind, could you help me find some books in the library later?" As both their eyes lit up at the mention of a library, he added, "I've got quite a large collection, so I'm sure you could find something for yourselves as well."

"Sure," Al said eagerly, then paused and shot Ed a guilty look.

Ed rolled his eyes at him and directed his words at Tucker. "Yeah, we both will." Al smiled.

Tucker finished tying off Nina's second braid and leaned forward, smiling as she looked at him disconsolately. "Okay, Nina, let's go get you dressed, and then Daddy has to work, okay?"

"Okay," she murmured softly, deflated. Tucker ruffled her bangs and then scooped her to himself, holding her close and standing up to take her to her room.

A half hour later had them in the library, searching the shelves for obscure books.

_"Atomic Biology _should be on the next shelf over," Tucker told Ed, brow furrowed as he searched the shelf in front of him for _The Avi-Mammalian Chimera._

"Right." Ed eyed him for a moment before grabbing Al by the arm and pulling him over. "C'mon, Al, let's look."

Al went along easily, and the two of them vanished around the shelf, leaving Tucker alone to sigh ruefully.

When they reappeared, Ed with _Atomic Biology _tucked under his right arm, Tucker chuckled wryly. "You boys really don't trust me, do you?"

Al started, then smiled sheepishly and shuffled. Ed grunted and redirected pointedly, "You seem like you're going back to basics. How come?" At Tucker's startled look, he held up _Atomic Biology. _"Dad has this book at home. I've read it."

Tucker gave him a surprised look, and then another rueful smile. "My research really isn't going well," he explained, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought that reviewing the basics might help, but honestly, I'm getting desperate." He finally located the book and, pulling it off, continued, "I haven't had a chance to say it yet, but what your father did really is a shame. There are so few minds gifted in alchemy, and now I'm sure he's tainted your view of it forever."

Ed eyed him strangely for his choice of words, but shrugged it off; he had similar difficulties himself sometimes, and things didn't always come out right. "Not really. Sure, there were a few years when we wanted nothing to do with it, and _I _still want to stay far away from bioalchemy… but Teacher showed us you could do a lot of good with it, too."

"The first day we met her, she stopped the river from flooding our town," Al added in.

Tucker 'hm'ed with interest. "It's a shame you're not interested," he told Ed.

"Yeah, well…" Ed shrugged, and then his eyes gained an unfocused tint, and Tucker smiled ruefully at a point unintentionally well-made. Moments later, much quicker than before, Ed continued, "It's not that I think it's bad, I just don't want anything to do with it personally. Too many bad memories."

Tucker sighed. "Still, we only rarely get new minds in our field, and I'm sure the sons of Van Hohenheim himself…" He cut himself off with a hasty, fervent glance at them, but none of the expected anger was there; both boys just looked sad.

"You know," Ed said softly, not moving. "You know… what you don't get, you and the Second Lieutenant and the Lieutenant Colonel don't get… Dad was nice. He did a lot of stuff to us, and we hated that, but we loved him."

Looking up, Al added, trembling voice sloshing with feeling, "He was our _Dad."_

Tucker paused, giving both of them a startled look. Neither noticed, turned back to their work, as thoughtful interest began to bloom in his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>I am very sad that none of you commented about Hohenheim telling the boys Xerxesian legends about himself. Very, very sad. For this, Ed gets a nightmare. Perhaps I will add a nightmare every time I am displeased. (OK, not really.) Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	10. Apple a Day

**A/N: Not AGAIN! Well, whatever. This time I have an excuse. I've been sick - for two weeks running now! - and I woke up late. No school for me today! But then I forgot about this. For which I have no excuse.**

**Thank you to Dark Cat Food Lover, Abi the Authoress, TheHaloFreak, Ubermarine, el . paradox, ThreeGoodReasons, Dark Meow Meow Kitten of Doom, and Swoop for reviewing!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>When the knock at the door came, it was Sunday. Ed was startled; Mustang had told them they'd only be at the office on weekdays, for obvious reasons.<p>

But no, there was Mustang, standing patiently at the door as Tucker spoke to him, on Sunday afternoon. After a few minutes of talking, Tucker let Mustang by and the Lieutenant-Colonel crossed the room in purposeful, easy strides.

Ed got up as the man reached them, eyes flashing, leaving Al to keep Nina busy on the floor. "Hey," he greeted faux-casually, arms crossed. "What's up, Mustang?"

Mustang looked deeply unaffected and very professional. Ed didn't think it was a good look on him. "I'm taking you and Alphonse to a military doctor. We need to know what lingering effects…" His eyes flickered to Nina, looking up with curious blue eyes, and visibly changed his choice of words. "…you were left with."

Ed gave him a long, hard look, but Al stood up, moving beside Ed, and nodded. "Alright."

Mustang nodded sharply and turned to lead them out. Ed scowled at his back, but, at Al's insistent nudge, followed him.

Mustang slid into the driver's seat of the black car outside, and without so much as glancing at each other, Ed and Al both climbed into the backseat.

Silently, Mustang started the car, and they were well on their way by the time anyone spoke.

"The doctor's been informed of your circumstances," he said briskly, ignoring Ed as he started and scowled at him. "Don't look at me like that, there was no way around it. There's a very… specialized exam for… alchemical experiments." Al cringed. "He's been sworn to secrecy, so don't you worry about anyone getting hold of anything about it." Mustang smiled grimly. "Not a soul will find out about it from him."

Ed wondered vaguely how he'd assured the man's silence.

"He hasn't informed me of the details," Mustang continued blithely, "but I'll make sure he doesn't do anything harmful, per our agreement."

That didn't make Ed feel any better.

It didn't take long to get to the hospital where the exam was to be conducted, and a flash of silver had them in in record time.

Soon, they were there, and Ed gave the door a wary look as Mustang pushed it open briskly.

In the room, Ed and Al both climbed onto the patient's table, and Ed scowled at the ground bad-temperedly. Mustang sighed resignedly and sat in the chair, waiting patiently.

They didn't have to wait for long; within minutes, a man in a white coat entered, examining them quickly.

"Hello," he said finally, after a moment's pause. "You two are the pair the Lieutenant Colonel so politely asked me to examine, aren't you?" Mustang rolled his eyes and Ed nodded shortly. "Excellent. May I begin by speaking with Alphonse?"

He seemed friendly enough. Al nodded with a tentative smile, and the man returned with a friendly one, moving to stand in front of him.

"My name is Doctor Albany," he told them, taking Al's wrist to carefully count off his heartbeat. "Normally I say to call me Al, but it seems that name's been taken." He smiled at Al's soft chuckle.

He noted down the heartbeat and changed to taking his blood pressure. "You have no sense of smell, is that right?"

Al nodded, deflating slightly. "Smell and taste. Touch is…" He half-smiled. "Well, touch and go." Albany chuckled ruefully. "Mostly just pressure," Al added.

"Hm." He wrote down Al's blood pressure. "Touch and go, eh? How long?"

"About five years now," Al said promptly.

"How are you handling it?" Albany glanced up to give him a concerned look.

Al smiled ruefully. "Honestly, I hardly remember a time without it." Ed flinched, something which wasn't lost on the others in the room. "But it's hard, sometimes. I'm okay, though." He smiled reassuringly at Ed. "Brother's really good at describing things. I can almost sense them myself when he talks to me."

Ed sighed and tipped his head back. If he could fix one thing, just one thing…

"That's very good of him." Albany smiled at Ed, who wasn't looking. Then, to Al, "May I examine your face?"

That attracted Ed's attention, and he looked down to glare at Albany. Al, though, just nodded reluctantly, and Albany shot Ed a reassuring look before leaning over to examine Al.

He probed carefully around the worst of the scarring with gentle fingers, wincing sympathetically. "Must've hurt like a bitch," he murmured. Al shrugged noncommittally. "Do you remember the incident?" Al nodded. "Can you describe it?"

Al's breath hitched and he winced visibly. Albany almost made to take it back, but Al spoke before he could.

"It was during one of… Well, one of the sessions of the experiment." He glanced at Mustang. "You know the one, don't you, Lieutenant Colonel?"

Mustang's eyes narrowed. "The one that killed him?"

Al nodded. "Yes. Dad would take vials of a red liquid and inject them into… well, Brother, normally." Albany glanced at Ed, who was glaring at the ceiling. Then his eyes unfocused, something Al was privately thankful for. "It didn't affect him the same way," he added unnecessarily. "Anyway, Dad was doing it same as usual, but it was a bad one. See, I think Dad was giving him too much of it at once. Eventually, Brother couldn't take it anymore… so he gave it to me instead." Al's hand drifted up, brushing his cheek. Quietly, he finished, half to himself, "It only took the one."

Albany paused for a few long moments.

It had been a long time since he'd dealt with human patients. He'd quit that sector, just because of stories like this – experiments gone wrong. Experiments gone right, sometimes. Inhumane treatment, horrible disfigurements, crippling disabilities.

The stories were rare – even the craziest of alchemists rarely explored human alchemy, and most of the victims were actually… Well, he hated even to think about the soldiers the military had brought in.

Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and asked to be transferred.

It figured that he'd pay for owing Mustang that favor.

"Any other abnormalities?" Albany asked evenly, keeping his eyes on the area he was examining.

"Something gave Al depression," Ed muttered, arms crossed, still glaring at the ceiling. Apparently he was back in it. Mustang started for an entirely different reason – this was news. "He takes medicine for it, it's purely biochemical. Same with insomnia, only he doesn't have medicine for it."

"Brother's growth is stunted," Al offered hesitantly. Ed redirected the scowl to him. "And he's aggressive. More aggressive, I mean."

The last bit was half teasing and half not, and Mustang rubbed his forehead tiredly. Ha. Served him right.

Albany checked Al's reflexes, finding them slow and reluctant, and then moved on to Ed. He asked a few more questions, finding nothing usefuly, and reported that Ed's heartbeat and blood pressure were both unexpectedly high, though he seemed healthy.

Finally, he straightened up and sid, "Now I just need to take some blood, and we'll be just about done."

Ed flinched and Al winced. Mustang frowned, comprehended, and sighed.

"Edward, Alphonse, he won't do anything," he told them, a breath shy of impatience. "This is information we need. Please try to understand."

Al edged a little closer to Ed and Ed took a deep breath. Fuck. He was not afraid of a damn needle. He was not.

Only just then Albany brought out the syringe, and Ed was off the table before even he knew it, dashing for the door.

Apparently, though, Mustang had super foresight powers, because he was there before Ed, blocking his way. Then he bent down, grabbed Ed, and held him there forcefully as he fought.

"No, fucking let go of me, you basta- a-a-ah!"

Ed stiffened, a gasp catching in his throat as pain bloomed in his chest and spread out, making him grit his teeth, eyes widening in pain, twitching spastically, fists clutching at nothing.

Wait. Not nothing.

A few minutes later, when he was aware of his surroundings again, he found Mustang still holding him, Al fretting, and Albany, expression concerned, with a syringe of blood in his hand.

Ed took a breath that wasn't deep enough. "Fucking let go of me," he snapped, not quite able to hide the shake in his voice. He rubbed his arm compulsively as Mustang looked at him doubtfully. "Let the fuck go!"

Reluctantly, Mustang did, and Ed slumped against the wall, eyes clenched shut. "Well, that was an adventure," Mustang commented, not quite able to conceal his own shakenness, as caught off-guard as they were.

The first time Mustang had found Ed having a fit like that one, he'd nearly freaked before it ended, but since then he'd taken them more-or-less in stride. Bastard.

"Well," Albany said slowly, setting the syringe down. "I intended to give you vaccines as well, but perhaps that's ill advised."

Ed, embarrassed and frustrated, bared his teeth, tilting his head up to glare at the doctor. "Just a little," he snapped bad-temperedly, still rubbing his arm compulsively.

Under Ed's close supervision, Albany took some blood from Al, and then informed them, somewhat placatingly, that they were finished.

On their way out, Albany promised, "Your secret is safe with me."

Ed looked back and half-smiled, then Al waved with a genuine one, and all three of them left.

When they reached the car, Mustang commented offhandedly, "That was a rather violent reaction."

Ed grunted uncomfortably, wondering to himself if more damage had been done than he realized, and looked out the window.

Ed missed Hohenheim._  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! I'm pretty proud of this chapter, at least. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	11. Trick of the Tongue

**A/N: I don't know WHY you all seem to have thought that I'd give them doom this chapter...**

**Thank you to Gamma Cavy, Dark Cat Food Lover, Abi the Authoress, TheHaloFreak, Swoop, MusiclyInclined, and Guest for reviewing!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

* * *

><p>"Here we are," Fuery declared cheerfully, holding out two clean-cut cards to Ed and Al.<p>

"What are these?" Al asked curiously, reaching to take them both and handing one to Ed. Ed looked down, just as interested, head tilted with a small frown.

Civilian Pass  
>Issued to: Edward Van Elric<br>Supervising Officer: Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang

Leaning over, Ed glanced over Alphonse's card.

Civilian Pass  
><span>Issued to: Alphonse Tristan Elric  
>Supervising Officer: Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang<p>

"They should keep you from being booted off the grounds," Fuery explained with a smile.

This was a legitimate concern. In the week that they had been going to East Command, they'd nearly been expelled from the command center by an affronted Sergeant before Hawkeye had come and rescued them.

And honestly – at the time they'd been visiting the girls that manned the communications lines, and they were neither the busiest nor the most top-secret of the workers there. Al sometimes insisted that they take books from the library to read there instead, and they loved Al – everyone who talked to him did. He was a force of nature that way.

"Thanks, Sergeant Fuery," Al said with a small smile.

Fuery smiled back. "Go ahead and do your rounds, then," he said, half playfully as he turned back to his work.

Ed grinned unashamedly and Al beamed and nodded. "We will," Ed said with a roll of his eyes.

Before they went to the library, the two Elric boys almost always made their way around the building, most notably visiting the cooking staff, the telephone girls, and the maintenance staff before they finally made their way to the library.

It was Al's fault, really, but Ed didn't mind – as long as he got to finish his last book the day before, that was.

Havoc waved at them, cigarette in his mouth, as they left, and Al smiled over his shoulder and waved back.

Once they were gone, Roy frowned at Fuery. "You were hurrying them off," he remarked.

Fuery had the decency to look somewhat abashed. "Yes," he admitted. Then, at Roy's prompting look, he continued, "The results you wanted came in today. I thought you'd want to look at them as soon as possible."

Roy nodded thoughtfully, tensing slightly in anticipation of the findings. "And, Sergeant?"

Fuery picked up an unobtrusive stack of papers and crossed the room to set them in front of Roy, who picked them up promptly, settling down to read them.

"Hm," he murmured some time later, setting them down.

Fuery was back across the room, and he – along with most of the rest of the room, Riza exempted – started, looking at Roy.

"Oh, you've finished?" Fuery asked, surprised.

"What do you…" Roy looked at the clock. "Oh." He cleared his throat at Riza's dry look and looked back down to the results, willing himself not to blush.

Both of their results had been predominantly normal, as Roy had suspected. No animal DNA, not that Roy had expected any – chimerical alchemy was dangerous, especially when humans were involved, and results probably would have been obvious. Besides, Hohenheim wasn't that kind of bioalchemist.

However, both of them showed a slight hormone imbalance – Al, for instance, had the anticipated serotonin and melatonin deficiencies, while Ed had a slight excess of both testosterone and adrenaline production, among other, less easily interpreted changes. Roy was no bioalchemist, himself, and this was clearly going to become a problem very quickly.

Most interestingly, though, Ed's blood contained a substance that the military scientists couldn't identify to save their lives, but noted as somewhat similar to Nash Tringham's Red Water, possibly a more advanced version of the notorious alchemy enhancer.

Roy 'hm'ed to himself again and stood up, addressing Riza. "I'm going to go find the Elrics. Who knows what trouble they're getting into."

Riza cocked an eyebrow slightly, but replied, "Yes, sir."

The rest of the office gave him curious looks, but Roy ignored them – this wasn't his secret to share. He strode forward and left, headed for the library – he really had been out of it for a while, reading that report.

He found them speaking vehemently, Al leaning forward with his good eye narrow and Ed gesturing energetically to convey his points. Roy paused to listen.

"No, no, listen, Al, if you accelerate the development of the bone too fast, the osteoclasts won't have time to catch up and break down the broken bone!"

Al nodded intently, then reached forward and added a few runes to the array Roy hadn't noticed, on a piece of paper set between the two boys. "But what if you added this? That would solve the osteoclast problem and shift away blood and muscle as well."

Ed stared down at the paper for a moment before he nodded and reached down to add a few more. "And this would even out the integrity of the bone structure," he said triumphantly.

"But wouldn't that compromise the overall structure of the bone?" Al asked concernedly.

Ed waved his hand dismissively. "It wouldn't matter much. It'd fix itself in no time, right?"

Al 'hm'ed reluctantly. "But if we distributed it through the whole skeleton…" At Ed's enthusiastic nod, he noted down a few runes and stared contemplatively at the array, then looked up at Ed and smiled. "I think this would do it."

…Did they just invent an array to instantly heal a broken bone? Alchemists had been trying to do that longer than those boys had been alive!

Roy walked forward, attention redirected to the array, and analyzed it.

It was entirely over his head.

Well, that was an intriguing development. Even if it was most likely because he was out of his area, that these two boys surpassed him in any area of alchemical knowledge was something to tuck away for later. On the other hand, if these boys had no clue about the arrays their father used, it proved the task before him much more daunting.

"Edward, Alphonse," he called to attract their attention. They both started and looked up at him. "The results came in."

"Oh," Al said softly.

"Huh." Ed tipped his head back, thinking, arms crossed. Al was more direct, for once.

"What do you think of it, Lieutenant Colonel?"

Mustang shrugged. "Not much. If I'm honest, it's a little over my head. I picked up the effects Edward mentioned, as well as a few other things besides, but I'll have to research the other imbalances. It's the unknown substance, however, that concerns me."

Ed nodded. "Yeah. That's a pretty high quantity for something that's not supposed to be here." He grimaced. "Probably should have killed me no matter what it was, so much of something unnatural." Ed shrugged. "It has to be the red liquid. Nothing else it could be."

Roy nodded. He'd chosen to withold the similarity assessment from the Elrics – Red Water was well known to be poisonous, and he didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily, and no matter what it did to Alphonse, Edward appeared to be fine.

Relatively speaking.

At that moment, Ed yawned, and Roy shrugged. "Well, we can work that out later. I need to finish."

Ed nodded, slightly tiredly, and Al yawned, too. Roy briefly wondered, going back to his work, what they'd been doing the night before to be so tired today.

When he looked back up, they were asleep on his couch.

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><p><strong>tbh, I probably should have waited longer before giving out the test results. But I have other things today before I, ahem, move on. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	12. Just Looking for Trouble

**A/N: Ack! With no school today, I nearly forgot to upload. This is probably a few hours late, sorry... *cringe***

**Thank you to Abi the Authoress, Dark Cat Food Lover, Joker Oak, TheHaloFreak, android727, Swoop, MusiclyInclined, and Guest for reviewing!**

**Title: For the Sake of Science**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Angst/Family**

**Warnings: Child abuse, human experimentation**

**Summary: A very different Hohenheim stays in Resembool, and Roy Mustang finds the effects of his experiments too late. With his help, Ed and Al set out to discover what he was trying to do, and along the way, find much, much more. Brotherhood AU.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now?**

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><p>Three weeks after the Elrics came to East City, it wasn't uncommon to see them laying around the Lieutenant Colonel's office with a pile of books, reading. Mustang's men worked around them with good-humored ease and they only occasionally popped out, mostly at Al's insistence, to visit people in other offices.<p>

At three weeks to the day, Ed and Al showed up in the office with two twin smiles on their face, Ed's eyes sparkling and Al's both shut with the force of it.

"What's the occasion?" Havoc asked them, raising an eyebrow.

For some reason, Ed flushed, and Al laughed, still grinning. "It's nothing, really. Nina just drew a picture for us. Here, look."

He pulled the carefully folded picture out of his pocket and showed it to Havoc, who looked at it, faintly confused.

There were five figures on the page, almost all of them blond. One was very tall, with glasses for eyes and huge hands, labelled 'Ed n Al Dad'. Another was very clearly Ed, with one grey arm and leg, labelled 'Ed'. Beside him was Al, again labelled, with only one eye and a huge smile, and then a short lady with grey hair called 'Ed n Al Granma'. Then there was another blonde, this time a girl, with a grey stick in her hand, called 'Wiry', and, in the clouds, a woman with brown hair, 'Ed n Al Mom'. Then, at the bottom, 'Ed n Al Family'.

Family was labelled in careful handwriting, not a little girl's.

"I think Tucker helped her with it a little," Al explained, with a warm smile. Ed smiled, too, looking almost unwilling, still avoiding their eyes.

Havoc chuckled, sitting back again. "It's cute," he conceded, amused at Ed's reaction. "Bet Hughes'd love it."

Al tilted his head. "Who is Hughes?"

Havoc didn't get a chance to answer; at that moment, Mustang poked his head into the outer office and addressed the Elrics.

"You two, I'd like to talk to you." He raised an eyebrow. "Unless now's a bad time?"

Ed rolled his eyes, flush fading. He waved halfheartedly at Havoc. "Duty calls," he said sarcastically, making Havoc chuckle. "C'mon, Al, let's see what the guy wants."

Al chuckled ruefully and followed his brother into Mustang's office, leaving Havoc behind. Soon, they were both in front of Mustang's desk, waiting expectantly. It was a moment or two before Mustang finally spoke.

"It's been nearly a month," he said carefully, eyes on them. "I am aware that it must be difficult for you." And for Mustang; just thinking of what he'd found in Hohenheim's journal made his stomach churn. "However, progress must be made, and my superiors will take notice if that doesn't happen soon." And if they had reason to believe that Mustang wasn't going to analyze Hohenheim's research, well, that would be the Elrics in a government lab.

Mustang didn't want that any more than they did.

His navy eyes were sharp and studious, face impassive as Ed crossed his arms and glared.

"No."

Mustang repressed the urge to twitch in frustration. "No," he repeated flatly. They really didn't get what was at stake here, did they?

"No," Ed repeated firmly. "Not yet, got that, Mustang?" He wanted to wait for the fits and the spacing to stop before they did anything.

Mustang let a sigh out and prepared himself for an uphill battle. "Edward, I have been patient, and I understand, but waiting too long could cause me to lose custody, and then..." He smiled coldly. "Our deal would be off, wouldn't it?"

Al felt Ed stiffen and bristled almost imperceptibly.

"Brother said no," Al said firmly, tone leaving no room for argument.

Mustang frowned. "Perhaps we could just go to the lab and-" _Explain what I would do. _Maybe if they knew what he was planning to do, knew that it _couldn't _hurt them, they'd be more open to the idea.

But Edward didn't give him time to finish - his eyes flashed and he grabbed Al's arm and ran, Al stumbling for a few moments before he regained his balance and shot Mustang a _look _over his shoulder.

"What-" Havoc stood up as the two boys fled, but the door was already closing.

Hawkeye poked her head in to find Mustang with his head in his hands, groaning to himself. "Sir?"

"Remind me to find better ways to push issues."

Hawkeye kept her face impassive, but it took effort. "Do you want me to go after them, sir?"

Mustang sighed and lifted his head. "No, let them go. If they're not with Tucker tonight, we'll go looking."

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><p>"Brother, where are we going?" Al panted out, one bronze eye round and anxious.<p>

In truth, Ed wasn't sure. A mixture of fear, indignation, and anger had led him to grab Al's hand and run away, and now he had no idea where they were.

That probably hadn't been the best plan ever.

Al read all of this in his face and sighed. "Brother..."

Ed shrugged casually and looked around, finally allowing himself to slow down. "So how long d'you think it'll take for him to drop it?" he asked conversationally, tension in the line of his shoulders giving him away.

"We _did _make a deal with him, brother," Al said reproachfully.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered resentfully, scowling to himself. "Think we should talk to Mustang before we go back to Tucker's?"

Al gave an exasperated sigh. _"Yes, _brother. And be nice to the Colonel, please. He _has _been good to us, and he's just doing his job."

Ed snorted again, though he knew Al was right, as usual, and was just about to speak when another voice interrupted.

"Excuse me, are you speaking of Lieutenant Colonel Mustang? The Flame Alchemist?"

Ed started to turn around. "Yeah, wh-?"

He never even saw the guy's face.

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><p><strong>That's that done. So there's a little bit of progression going on, Ed is impulsive, and Mustang discovers the wrong way to force issues. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


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